Wrong, your “duties” are to both God AND the pope. First to God and then to the pope who IS Gods representative on Earth. You have no right to flout any of his laws or disregard the obedience due to him unless he is asking you to do something that is MANIFESTLY sinful.
Not really. Before the radio was invented, most Catholics had no interaction with the pope at all, for all of history. Their main duty was to their local priest (most people have no interaction with their diocesan Bishop, either). The parish priest was the conduit from Pope --> Bishop --> Parish Priest.