28/01/2026
The Apostolic Succession must continue, to preserve and spread the holy teaching of Christ..
It is clear, according to the divine constitution established by Christ, that true authority in teaching and preaching comes only from being sent by Jesus Christ Himself. As the Lord declared, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). Even during His earthly ministry, although Jesus had thousands of followers who saw Him, heard His words, and witnessed the works of the living God, not all were chosen or commissioned by Him. Rather, Christ deliberately chose the Twelve, entrusted them with His authority, and sent them forth to teach in His name.
This apostolic mission was solemnly confirmed after the Resurrection, when Jesus proclaimed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18–20). This authority was not given indiscriminately, but specifically to those whom Christ had chosen and sent.
Even in the time of Jesus, many saw Him personally and heard His teaching, yet not all were sent or invested with authority. The apostles themselves understood that this authority must be preserved through succession. When Judas fell from his office, they appointed another to take his place, insisting that he be one who had accompanied Jesus from the beginning and could bear witness to the Resurrection (Acts 1:21–26).
This apostolic continuity is clearly affirmed by the early Church Fathers. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–107 AD), a disciple of the Apostle John, taught that unity with the bishop is essential, declaring: “Where the bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans ). Authority, therefore, is inseparable from apostolic office.
Likewise, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD) testified that true doctrine is preserved through the succession of bishops from the apostles, writing that the authentic faith can be known by tracing the line of bishops who received their authority from the apostles themselves (Against Heresies, III.3.1). This succession serves as a safeguard against false teaching and private interpretation.
Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200–258 AD) further affirmed this principle, teaching that the episcopate is one and undivided, and that no one can claim God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother (On the Unity of the Catholic Church). To separate oneself from apostolic authority is to separate oneself from the Church established by Christ.
Therefore, those who arise later without Apostolic succession—lacking a direct transmission of authority handed down from the apostles through the laying on of hands—and who rely solely on private reading of Scripture apart from the teaching authority of the Church, do not possess legitimate authority that originates from Christ. Authentic doctrine is safeguarded, interpreted, and transmitted through the Apostolic and Catholic Church, which Christ Himself established as the pillar and foundation of truth (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15).
