Rebuttal: Of course we do, and we are very proud of it.

What the Bible Says

• Mt 16: 18-19 - "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In Other Words
Jesus was the most influential person to ever walk the face of the earth. His message was the most powerful message of all time. His fame exceeds even the most famous Hollywood stars, infinitely more times over. Why would a man so powerful, so glorious, so influential hand his authority over to a common man? Sure, Peter is the 'Rock' of the Catholic Church, but he was not born that way. He was an imperfect man much like you and I. He even denied Jesus. Why would Jesus trust him?

Jesus understood that in order for his message to carry forth, for his Church to be built - he had to build a team. He chose to call forth men who were seemingly unqualified to get the job done (Matthew was a tax collector and Peter a fisherman), to make an example out of them. You see, the apostles needed Jesus, but Jesus had to leave this earth. Any good leader who has to leave his / her team behind understands the value of a strategic plan. Alas, the authority of The Catholic Church is revealed, explained and handed over to the twelve men charged with the duty of spreading the Good News and building Jesus' church upon the 'cornerstone.'

What the Church Teaches

• CCC 763: It was the Son’s task to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation in the fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for him being sent. “The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in the scriptures.” To fulfill the Father’s will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Church “is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery.”
• CCC 764: “This Kingdom shines out before men in the word, in the works and in the presence of Christ.” To welcome Jesus’ word is to welcome “the Kingdom itself.” The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the “little flock” of those whom Jesus came to gather around him, the flock whose shepherd he is (Lk 12:32; Mt 10:16; 26:31; Jn 10:1-21). They form Jesus’ true family (Mt 12:49). To those whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a new “way of acting” and a prayer of their own.
• CCC 767: “When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church.” (Jn 17:1-26) Then “the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun.” As the “convocation” of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them.
• CCC 772: It is in the Church that Christ fulfills and reveals his own mystery as the purpose of God’s plan: “to unite all things in him” (Eph 1:9-10). St. Paul calls the nuptial union of Christ and the Church “a great mystery.” Because she is united to Christ as to her bridegroom, she becomes a mystery in her turn (Eph 5:32; 3:8-9; 5:25-27) Contemplating this mystery in her, Paul exclaims: “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).”