Next:

"We see this in the passage in John 21. Jesus gives his pastoral authority to Peter with three solemn commands: “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep.” Here Jesus delegates his authority three times in three different ways, using imagery found throughout the Old Testament. In so doing he clearly reveals his delegation of authority to Peter."

Jesus is the Christ, The King, and Peter was his steward. Nowhere did Jesus say that Peter or anyone else would appoint a successor to that position. Since we need to follow the continuity of the authority and privileges of Jesus' kingship, He alone can appoint a steward. I have not read, seen, or heard anything that suggests that He did so after Peter's death. It's been a while since I thought about this, though, so I might be forgetting something, and would like to know if anyone has any input on this point, since it would be the most critical point in attempting to establish a legitimacy to the papacy.