Why do we need the Pope?

Christ willed that Peter be the visible rock for his Church. The Pope is not there to replace Christ, but to serve unity and confirm people in the faith. Without that reference point, it would be very easy to turn Christianity into a sum of private interpretations. Authority properly understood does not extinguish faith; it helps avoid losing the common path. This question needs calm, not a slogan. Many doubts are understood better when you separate things: what faith says, what reason can see, what comes from personal experience, and what perhaps arises from a wound or a prejudice.