Was Infallibility Bestowed Upon St. Peter by Christ?

Roman Catholics believe that the Papal infallibility was bestowed on Peter and his successors by Christ., therefore the Pope is infallible in doctrine. Of course as always Matthew 16 is cited by Roman Catholics along with Luke 22:31-32 as proof that this power of infallibility was given to the Papacy through Peter by Christ:

Luke 22:31-32:

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you, so that he might sift you [all] like wheat! 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith would not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brethren.

No where in this verse, or in Matthew, does it state that Peter was above the other Apostles or that he was given infallibility. However, in the Bible we do read that Peter was in error (fallible) on doctrine himself. With Peter’s vision in Acts 10:9-16 and Paul’s correction of Peter in Galatians 2:11 we see that Peter’s actions and practices were not infallible.
In Acts 10:8- we read that a vision was sent to Peter to convince him to go with the two gentiles that God was sending to him:

9 Now on the next day, as they were on their way and approached the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour. 10 He became hungry and desired to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 13 Then a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean!” 15 Again, a second time, the voice spoke to him, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”

Peter, who had been staying with a tanner, apparently was not observing all of the Law of Moses,  since by those Laws a tanner would fall into the category of being perpetually unclean. However, Peter was still following the Law of Moses in the prideful sense,  for Peter did not go to the “gentiles” as Jesus had instructed. As we continue,  we see that men have been sent to Peter and Peter goes with them to met Cornelius, who had sent the men to get him

25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and expressed adoration to him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up! I am also a man!” 27 As he talked with Cornelius, he went in and found many people assembled. 28 Peter said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit someone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.

Peter makes it clear that he is only a man and not the Vicar of Christ as the Pope claims. Furthermore, Peter goes on to state that God has shown him that he was in error and that Jesus had in fact commanded him previously to go to ALL people:

41 Yet, he was not manifest to all the people but [only] to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God—that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living
and the dead.

Therefore, Peter had ignored or did not understand fully Jesus’ commands to love others as yourself and to go forth and teach ALL nations. This shows us that Peter,  being just a man and fallible like the rest of us,  had to learn lessons as we all do.

Next,  in Galatians we read that all the Apostles were considered “pillars” and during this time Paul had been sent to the “gentiles” and Peter to the Jews:

Galatians 2:7-8:

7 Instead, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted] with the Good News for those who are circumcised 8 (since he who appointed Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision also appointed me to the Gentiles); 9 and when James, Kephasf, and John, who were considered as pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, [showing] that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to those who are circumcised.

Nowhere is Peter placed in authority of all believers over the rest of the Apostles. In fact, Peter is corrected here by Paul for taking part in prideful and heretical behavior:

2:11-14: But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong.12 Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men came, he withdrew from the gentiles and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. 13 The other Jews also joined him in this hypocritical behavior, to the extent that even Barnabas was caught up in their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “Though you are a Jew, you have been living like a gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you insist that the gentiles must live like Jews?”

Peter was clearly in error for he was “insisting” upon the “gentiles” observing the Law and live like the Jews. Furthermore, he was doing so out of fear. We know that this is not infallible teaching. The early Church Fathers spoke often against Judaizing – requring that Christians follow the Law of Moses as the Jews did. Thus, Judaizing was a heresy in the early Church.

Peter , being fallible,  was at times “not acting consistently with the truth of the Gospel” and had fallen into a heresy. If he was given infallibility by Christ before the crucifixion, then Peter would have been consistent in teaching truth rather than in error and swept away by a heresy after the ascension. But being human and influenced by other humans he at times taught against truth.

Finally, it should be noted that James acts as the lead at the Council in Acts 15.

If Peter were the first Pope and was bestowed with infallibility, we should see him leading the Council in Acts along with Paul submitting to him and his authority as Pope. Yet, we see a whole other picture of Peter in the New Testament proving that while he was the first to profess faith in Christ, he was not first among the Apostles in a place of authority over them, a place of honor seperate from them or infallibility.