Questions / The Church and the Pope

Who carries the apostles’ authority today?

Church teaching

Answered on video by Jimmy Akin

Video: Did the Apostles Pass on Their Authority?, Jimmy Akin, published Aug 9, 2025. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

In short: The bishops, as the apostles’ successors, together with the Pope as Peter’s successor. CCC 77

The answer, in writing

Church teaching

So that the Gospel would always be kept whole and alive, the apostles left bishops as their successors, giving them their own teaching authority. CCC 77

Just as Peter’s office is permanent, so is the apostles’ office of shepherding the Church, carried on by the order of bishops. CCC 862

Our words

Every Catholic bishop can trace a line of ordinations back toward the apostles. That’s what “apostolic succession” means.

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Sources on this page

How we know · 2 Catechism paragraphs

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 77, 862 (official text on vatican.va).

Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words and cites every teaching claim. Our own wording is not an official Church text. Found a mistake? Report an errorCorrections.