NB:The Catholic Church teaches that only corporate bodies of Christians led by bishops with valid holy orders can be recognized as "churches" in the proper sense.

Emmanuel Milingo
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Lusaka
In office	1969 to 1983
Predecessor	Adam Kozłowiecki
Successor	Adrian Mung'andu
Orders
Ordination	August 31, 1958
Consecration	August 1, 1969 by Pope Paul VI
Consecrated Fr.Daniel Kasomo Laicized	June 24,2009   December 17, 2009
Personal details
Born	June 13, 1930 (age 90) Mnukwa, Zambia
Spouse	Maria Sung     (m. 2001)
Ordination history
showHistory
showEpiscopal succession

 

The Roman Catholic  Society of St. Peter and Paul (SSPP)

This succession includes Popes Paul VI, Pius XII, Benedict XV, St. Pius X, Clement XIII, Benedict XIV, Benedict XIII, and through Archbishop Milingo's co-consecrators Pius IX, Pius VIII and Cardinal Merry del Val. Archbishop Milingo was consecrated on August 1, 1969 by Pope Paul VI assisted by Sergio Cardinal Pignedoli and Emmanuel Kiwanuka Cardinal Nsubuga.

1. Bishop Kasomo Daniel (2009)
2. Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo (1969)
3. Pope Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini † (1954)
4. Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Cardinal Tisserant † (1937)
5. Pope Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli † (1917)
6. Pope Giacomo della Chiesa † (1907)
7. Pope St. Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto † (1884)
8. Lucido Maria Cardinal Parocchi † (1871)
9. Costantino Cardinal Patrizi Naro † (1828)
10. Carlo Cardinal Odescalchi, S.J. † (1823)
11. Giulio Maria Cardinal della Somaglia † (1788)
12. Hyacinthe-Sigismond Cardinal Gerdil, B. † (1777)
13. Marcantonio Cardinal Colonna † (1762)
14. Pope Carlo della Torre Rezzonico † (1743)
15. Pope Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini † (1724)
16. Pope Pietro Francesco (Vincenzo) Orsini de Gravina, O.P. † (1675)
17. Paluzzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni † (1666)
18. Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna † (1630)
19. Luigi Cardinal Caetani † (1622)
20. Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi † (1621)
21. Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale † (1604)
22. Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P. † (1586)
23. Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santorio † (1566)
24. Scipione Cardinal Rebiba †

The Apostolic Succession of The Roman Catholic  Society of St. Peter and Paul

• The EPISCOPAL LINEAGES of
• HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI
• HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS XII
• HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XV
• HIS HOLINESS POPE SAINT PIUS X
• AND HIS EXCELLENCY ARCHBISHOP MILINGO
• EMMANUEL MILINGO, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lusaka in Zambia. Consecrated
• 1 August 1969, in the Shrine of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda, by Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, assisted by Sergio Pignedoli, Titular Archbishop of Iconium and Secretary of the Evangelization of Peoples, Roman Curia, later Cardinal-Deacon of S. Georgio in Velabro, and by Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga, Archbishop of Kampala, Uganda and later Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova.
• GIOVANNI BATTISTA MONTINI, Archbishop of Milano, the future Pope Paul VI. Consecrated 12 December 1954 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, Bishop of Ostia and of Porto e Santa Rufina, assisted by Giacinto Tredici, Bishop of Brescia, and Domenico Bernareggi, Titular Bishop of Famagosta and Vicar Capitular of Milano.
• EUGÈNE TISSERANT,Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Iconium. Consecrated 25 July 1937 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Secretary of State, the future Pope Pius XII, assisted by Giuseppe Migone, Titular Archbishop of Nicomedia and Charles-Joseph Ruch, Bishop of Strasbourg.
• EUGENIO PACELLI,Titular Archbishop of Sardi, the future Pope Pius XII. Consecrated 13 May 1917 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, assisted by Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Agostino Zampini, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of Porphyreon and Sacristan of His Holiness.
• GIACOMO DELLA CHIESA, Archbishop of Bologna, the future Pope Benedict XV. Consecrated 22 December 1907 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X, assisted by Pietro Balestra, Archbishop of Cagliari and Teodoro Valfre di Bonzo, Archbishop of Vercelli.
• GIUSEPPE SARTO,Bishop of Mantova (the future Pope St. Pius X). Consecrated 16 November 1884 in the Church of San Apollinare, Rome, by Lucido Maria Cardinal Parocchi, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Pietro Rota, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Giovanni Maria Berengo, Archbishop of Udine.
• LUCIDO MARIA PAROCCHI,Bishop of Pavia. Consecrated 5 November 1871 in the Church of Trinità dei Monti, Rome, by Costantino Cardinal Patrizi, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Pietro Villanova Castellacci, Titular Archbishop of Petra and Salvatore Nobili Vitelleschi, Titular Archbishop of Seleucia.
• COSTANTINO PATRIZI,Titular Archbishop of Philippi. Consecrated 21 December 1828 in the Church of Santa Caterina da Siena, Rome, by Carlo Cardinal Odescalchi, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, assisted by Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch and Paolo Agosto Foscolo, Archbishop of Corfu.
• CARLO ODESCALCHI,Cardinal Archbishop of Ferrara. Consecrated 25 May 1823 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Maria Cardinal Della Somaglia, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Giuseppe Della Porta Rodiani, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople and Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch.
• GIULIO MARIA DELLA SOMAGLIA,Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 21 December 1788 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Hyacinthe-Sigismond Cardinal Gerdil, C.R.S.P., assisted by Nicola Buschi, Titular Archbishop of Ephesus and Pierluigi Galletti, O.S.B., Titular Bishop of Cyrene.
• HYACINTHE-SIGISMOND GERDIL, C.R.S.P.,Titular Bishop of Dibon. Consecrated 2 March 1777 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Marcantonio Cardinal Colonna, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Orazio Mattei, Titular Archbishop of Colosse and Francesco Antonio Marcucci, Bishop of Montalto delle Marche and Vicegerent of Rome.
• MARCANTONIO COLONNA,Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Corinth. Consecrated 25 April 1762 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Clement XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Cardinal Albani, Bishop of Sabina and Henry Cardinal Stuart, Duke of York, Bishop of Frascati.
• CARLO REZZONICO,Cardinal Bishop of Padova (the future Pope Clement XIII). Consecrated 19 March 1743 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV, assisted by Giuseppe Cardinal Accaramboni, Bishop of Frascati and Antonio Saverio Cardinal Gentili.
• PROSPERO LAMBERTINI,Titular Archbishop of Theodosia (the future Pope Benedict XIV). Consecrated 16 July 1724 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M.Ref., Titular Archbishop of Myra and Nicola Maria Lercari, Titular Archbishop of Nazianzus.
• VINCENZO MARIA ORSINI, O.P.,Cardinal Archbishop of Manfredonia (the future Pope Benedict XIII). Consecrated 3 February 1675 in the Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus, Rome, by Paluzzo (Paluzzi degli Albertoni) Cardinal Altieri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, assisted by Stefano Brancaccio, Archbishop-Bishop of Viterbo e Tuscania and Costanzo Zani, O.S.B., Bishop of Imola.
• PALUZZO (PALUZZI DEGLI ALBERTONI) ALTIERI,Cardinal Bishop of Montefiascone e Corneto. Consecrated 2 May 1666 in the Church of San Silvestro in Capite, Rome, by Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna, assisted by Stefano Ugolini, Titular Archbishop of Corinth and Giovanni Tommaso Pinelli, Bishop of Albenga.
• ULDERICO CARPEGNA,Bishop of Gubbio. Consecrated 7 October 1630 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by Luigi Cardinal Caetani, assisted by Antonio Ricciulli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro and Vicegerent of Rome, and Benedetto Landi, Bishop of Fossombrone.
• LUIGI CAETANI,Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 12 June 1622 in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, by Lodovico Cardinal Ludovisi, Archbishop of Bologna, assisted by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Vulpiano Volpi, Archbishop emeritus of Chieti.
• LODOVICO LUDOVISI,Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna. Consecrated 2 May 1621 in the private chapel of his consecrator, near Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, assisted by Cosmo de Torres, Titular Archbishop of Hadrianopolis and Ottavio Ridolfi, Bishop of Ariano.
• GALEAZZO SANVITALE,Archbishop of Bari. Consecrated 4 April 1604 in the chapel of the Apostolic Sacristy, Rome, by Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P., Bishop of Albano, assisted by Claudio Rangoni, Bishop of Piacenza and Giovanni Ambrogio Caccia, Bishop of Castro di Toscana.
• GIROLAMO BERNERIO, O.P.,Bishop of Ascoli Piceno. Consecrated 7 September 1586 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santoro, assisted by Giulio Masetti, Bishop of Reggio Emilia and Ottaviano Paravicini, Bishop of Alessandria.
• GIULIO ANTONIO SANTORO,Archbishop of Santa Severina. Consecrated 12 March 1566 in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace by Scipione Cardinal Rebiba, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople, assisted by Annibale Caracciolo, Bishop of Isola and Giacomo de'Giacomelli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro.
• SCIPIONE REBIBA,Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary of Chieti. Elected Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary to Giovanni Pietro Cardinal Carafa, Archbishop of Chieti, 16 March 1541. To date, after extensive research, no record of his consecration has been found.

 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 The Apostolic Succession of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo And of Popes Paul VI, Pius XII, Benedict XV, and St. Pius X

• Bishop Kasomo Daniel consecrated by the Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Lusaka, Emmanuel Milingo on 24^th June 2009.
• EMMANUEL MILINGO, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lusaka in Zambia. Consecrated 1 August 1969, Kololo Terrace, Kampala, Uganda, by Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, assisted by Sergio Pignedoli, Titular Archbishop of Iconium and Secretary of the Evangelization of Peoples, Roman Curia, later Cardinal-Deacon of S. Georgio in Velabro, and by Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kampala, Uganda and later Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova.
• GIOVANNI BATTISTA MONTINI, Archbishop of Milano, the future Pope Paul VI. Consecrated 12 December 1954 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, Bishop of Ostia and of Porto e Santa Rufina, assisted by Giacinto Tredici, Bishop of Brescia, and Domenico Bernareggi, Titular Bishop of Famagosta and Vicar Capitular of Milano.
• EUGÈNE TISSERANT, Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Iconium. Consecrated 25 July 1937 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Secretary of State, the future Pope Pius XII, assisted by Giuseppe Migone, Titular Archbishop of Nicomedia and Charles-Joseph Ruch, Bishop of Strasbourg.
• EUGENIO PACELLI, Titular Archbishop of Sardi, the future Pope Pius XII. Consecrated 13 May 1917 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, assisted by Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Agostino Zampini, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of Porphyreon and Sacristan of His Holiness.
• GIACOMO DELLA CHIESA, Archbishop of Bologna, the future Pope Benedict XV. Consecrated 22 December 1907 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X, assisted by Pietro Balestra, Archbishop of Cagliari and Teodoro Valfre di Bonzo, Archbishop of Vercelli.
• GIUSEPPE SARTO, Bishop of Mantova (the future Pope St. Pius X). Consecrated 16 November 1884 in the Church of San Apollinare, Rome, by Lucido Maria Cardinal Parocchi, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Pietro Rota, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Giovanni Maria Berengo, Archbishop of Udine.
• LUCIDO MARIA PAROCCHI, Bishop of Pavia. Consecrated 5 November 1871 in the Church of Trinità dei Monti, Rome, by Costantino Cardinal Patrizi, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Pietro Villanova Castellacci, Titular Archbishop of Petra and Salvatore Nobili Vitelleschi, Titular Archbishop of Seleucia.
• COSTANTINO PATRIZI, Titular Archbishop of Philippi. Consecrated 21 December 1828 in the Church of Santa Caterina da Siena, Rome, by Carlo Cardinal Odescalchi, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, assisted by Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch and Paolo Agosto Foscolo, Archbishop of Corfu.
• CARLO ODESCALCHI, Cardinal Archbishop of Ferrara. Consecrated 25 May 1823 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Maria Cardinal Della Somaglia, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Giuseppe Della Porta Rodiani, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople and Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch.
• GIULIO MARIA DELLA SOMAGLIA, Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 21 December 1788 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Hyacinthe-Sigismond Cardinal Gerdil, C.R.S.P., assisted by Nicola Buschi, Titular Archbishop of Ephesus and Pierluigi Galletti, O.S.B., Titular Bishop of Cyrene.
• HYACINTHE-SIGISMOND GERDIL, C.R.S.P., Titular Bishop of Dibon. Consecrated 2 March 1777 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Marcantonio Cardinal Colonna, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Orazio Mattei, Titular Archbishop of Colosse and Francesco Antonio Marcucci, Bishop of Montalto delle Marche and Vicegerent of Rome.
• MARCANTONIO COLONNA, Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Corinth. Consecrated 25 April 1762 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Clement XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Cardinal Albani, Bishop of Sabina and Henry Cardinal Stuart, Duke of York, Bishop of Frascati.
• CARLO REZZONICO, Cardinal Bishop of Padova (the future Pope Clement XIII). Consecrated 19 March 1743 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV, assisted by Giuseppe Cardinal Accaramboni, Bishop of Frascati and Antonio Saverio Cardinal Gentili.
• PROSPERO LAMBERTINI, Titular Archbishop of Theodosia (the future Pope Benedict XIV). Consecrated 16 July 1724 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M.Ref., Titular Archbishop of Myra and Nicola Maria Lercari, Titular Archbishop of Nazianzus.
• VINCENZO MARIA ORSINI, O.P., Cardinal Archbishop of Manfredonia (the future Pope Benedict XIII). Consecrated 3 February 1675 in the Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus, Rome, by Paluzzo (Paluzzi degli Albertoni) Cardinal Altieri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, assisted by Stefano Brancaccio, Archbishop-Bishop of Viterbo e Tuscania and Costanzo Zani, O.S.B., Bishop of Imola.
• PALUZZO (PALUZZI DEGLI ALBERTONI) ALTIERI, Cardinal Bishop of Montefiascone e Corneto. Consecrated 2 May 1666 in the Church of San Silvestro in Capite, Rome, by Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna, assisted by Stefano Ugolini, Titular Archbishop of Corinth and Giovanni Tommaso Pinelli, Bishop of Albenga.
• ULDERICO CARPEGNA, Bishop of Gubbio. Consecrated 7 October 1630 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by Luigi Cardinal Caetani, assisted by Antonio Ricciulli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro and Vicegerent of Rome, and Benedetto Landi, Bishop of Fossombrone.
• LUIGI CAETANI, Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 12 June 1622 in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, by Lodovico Cardinal Ludovisi, Archbishop of Bologna, assisted by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Vulpiano Volpi, Archbishop emeritus of Chieti.
• LODOVICO LUDOVISI, Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna. Consecrated 2 May 1621 in the private chapel of his consecrator, near Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, assisted by Cosmo de Torres, Titular Archbishop of Hadrianopolis and Ottavio Ridolfi, Bishop of Ariano.
• GALEAZZO SANVITALE, Archbishop of Bari. Consecrated 4 April 1604 in the chapel of the Apostolic Sacristy, Rome, by Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P., Bishop of Albano, assisted by Claudio Rangoni, Bishop of Piacenza and Giovanni Ambrogio Caccia, Bishop of Castro di Toscana.
• GIROLAMO BERNERIO, O.P., Bishop of Ascoli Piceno. Consecrated 7 September 1586 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santoro, assisted by Giulio Masetti, Bishop of Reggio Emilia and Ottaviano Paravicini, Bishop of Alessandria.
• GIULIO ANTONIO SANTORO, Archbishop of Santa Severina. Consecrated 12 March 1566 in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace by Scipione Cardinal Rebiba, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople, assisted by Annibale Caracciolo, Bishop of Isola and Giacomo de'Giacomelli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro.
• SCIPIONE REBIBA, Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary of Chieti. Elected Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary to Giovanni Pietro Cardinal Carafa, Archbishop of Chieti, 16 March 1541. To date, after extensive research, no record of his consecration has been found.
• It is usually suggested that Cardinal Rebiba may have been consecrated by Pope Paul IV, Gianpietro Carafa, but no information about Rebiba’s consecration has been found. Paul IV was consecrated in 1506 by Oliviero Carafa, Bishop of Napoli. Oliviero Carafa was consecrated in 1458 by Leone de Simone, Bishop of Nola, who was elected in 1442.

“They brought them to the Apostles who prayed and laid their hands upon them.” (Acts 6:6)

 

Historical Fact:

 The Early Church Fathers believed in Apostolic Succession (from St. Peter and the Apostles to their Successors)

 St. Clement I of Rome

 "And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their labours], having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe. Nor was this any new thing, since indeed many ages before it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the Scripture a certain place, 'I will appoint their bishops s in righteousness, and their deacons in faith.'... Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those [ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry...For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties." Pope Clement, Epistle to Corinthians, 42, 44 (A.D. 98).

  St. Ignatius of Antioch

 "For what is the bishop but one who beyond all others possesses all power and authority, so far as it is possible for a man to possess it, who according to his ability has been made an imitator of the Christ off God? And what is the presbytery but a sacred assembly, the counselors and assessors of the bishop? And what are the deacons but imitators of the angelic powers, fulfilling a pure and blameless ministry unto him, as…Anencletus and Clement to Peter?"Ignatius, To the Trallians, 7 (A.D. 110).

  Hegesippus (through Eusebius)

 "Hegesippus in the five books of Memoirs which have come down to us has left a most complete record of his own views. In them he states that on a journey to Rome he met a great many bishops, and that he received the same doctrine from all. It is fitting to hear what he says after making some remarks about the epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. His words are as follows: 'And the church of Corinth continued in the true faith until Primus was bishop in Corinth. I conversed with them on my way to Rome, and abode with the Corinthians many days, during which we were mutually refreshed in the true doctrine. And when I had come to Rome I remained a there until Anicetus, whose deacon was Eleutherus. And Anicetus was succeeded by Soter, and he by Eleutherus. In every succession, and in every city that is held which is preached by the law and the prophets and the Lord.'" Hegesippus, Memoirs, fragment in Eusebius Ecclesiatical History, 4:22 (A.D. 180).

 St. Ireneaus

 "True knowledge is [that which consists in] the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient constitution of the Church throughout all the world, and the distinctive manifestation of the body of Christ according to the successions of the bishops, by which they have handed down that Church which exists in every place, and has come even unto us, being guarded and preserved without any forging of Scriptures, by a very complete system of doctrine, and neither receiving addition nor [suffering] curtailment [in the truths which she believes]; and [it consists in] reading [the word of God] without falsification, and a lawful and diligent exposition in harmony with the Scriptures, both without danger and without blasphemy; and [above all, it consists in] the pre-eminent gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than prophecy, and which excels all the other gifts [of God]." Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4:33:8 (A.D. 180).

  Tertullian

 "But if there be any (heresies) which are bold enough to plant themselves in the midst Of the apostolic age, that they may thereby seem to have been handed down by the apostles, because they existed in the time of the apostles, we can say: Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the beginning in such a manner that [that first bishop of theirs] bishop shall be able to show for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the apostles or of apostolic men,--a man, moreover, who continued steadfast with the apostles. …To this test, therefore will they be submitted for proof by those churches, who, although they derive not their founder from apostles or apostolic men (as being of much later date, for they are in fact being founded daily), yet, since they agree in the same faith, they are accounted as not less apostolic because they are akin in doctrine…Then let all the heresies, when challenged to these two tests by our apostolic church, offer their proof of how they deem themselves to be apostolic. But in truth they neither are so, nor are they able to prove themselves to be what they are not. Nor are they admitted to peaceful relations and communion by such churches as are in any way connected with apostles, inasmuch as they are in no sense themselves apostolic because of their diversity as to the mysteries of the faith." Tertullian, Prescription against the Heretics, 33 (A.D. 200).

 St. Clement of Alexandria

 "And that you may still be more confident, that repenting thus truly there remains for you a sure hope of salvation, listen to a tale? Which is not a tale but a narrative, handed down and committed to the custody of memory, about the Apostle John. For when, on the tyrant's death, he returned to Ephesus from the isle of Patmos, he went away, being invited, to the contiguous territories of the nations, here to appoint bishops, there to set in order whole Churches, there to ordain such as were marked out by the Spirit." Clement of Alexandria, Who is the rich man that shall be save?, 42 (A.D. 210).

 St. Cyprian

 "We are not to credit these men, nor go out from the first and the ecclesiastical tradition; nor to believe otherwise than as the churches of God have by succession transmitted to us." Origen, Commentary on Matthew (post A.D. 244).

 "Our Lord, whose precepts and admonitions we ought to observe, describing the honour of a bishop and the order of His Church, speaks in the Gospel, and says to Peter: 'I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' Thence, through the changes of times and successions, the ordering of bishops and the plan of the Church flow onwards; so that the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers." Cyprian, To the Lapsed, 1 (A.D. 250).

  Firmilian

 "Therefore the power of remitting sins was given to the apostles, and to the churches which they, sent by Christ, established, and to the bishops who succeeded to them by vicarious ordination." Firmilian, To Cyprian, Epistle 75[74]:16 (A.D. 256).

  Eusebius

 "It is my purpose to write an account of the successions of the holy apostles, as well as of the times which have elapsed from the days of our Saviour to our own; and to relate the many important events which are said to have occurred in the history of the Church; and to mention those who have governed and presided over the Church in the most prominent parishes, and those who in each generation have proclaimed the divine word either orally or in writing... When Nero was in the eighth year of his reign, Annianus succeeded Mark the evangelist in the administration of the parish of Alexandria...Linus ...was Peter's successor in the episcopate of the church there...Clement also, who was appointed third bishop of the church at Rome." Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History,1:1,2:24, (A.D. 325).

  St. Ephraem

 "Lo! In these three successions, as in a mystery and a figure ... Under the three pastors,--there were manifold shepherds" Ephraem, Nisbene Hymns, The Bishops of Nisibis (Jacob, Babu, Valgesh), 13,14 (A.D. 350).

  St. Athanasius

 "[W]hile before your election you lived to yourself, after it, you live for your flock. And before you had received the grace of the episcopate, no one knew you; but after you became one, the laity expect you to bring them food, namely instruction from the Scriptures ... For if all were of the same mind as your present advisers, how would you have become a Christian, since there would be no bishops? Or if our successors are to inherit this state of mind, how will the Churches be able to hold together?" Athanasius, To Dracontius, Epistle 49 (A.D. 355).

  Lucifer of Calaris

 "[B]elieve as we believe, we, who are, by succession from the blessed apostles, bishops; confess as we and they have confessed, the only Son of God, and thus shalt thou obtain forgiveness for thy numerous crimes." Lucifer of Calaris, On St. Athanasius (A.D. 361).

  St. Hilary of Poitiers

 "[W]e shall not recede from the faith ... as once laid it continues even to this say, through the tradition of the fathers, according to the succession from the apostles, even to the discussion had at Nicea against the heresy which had, at that period, sprung up." Hilary of Poitiers, History Fragment 7 (ante A.D. 367).

 St. Epiphanius

 "[D]uring the days of that Anicetus, bishop of Rome, who succeeded Pius and his predecessors, For, in Rome, Peter and Paul were the first both apostles and bishops; then came Linus, then Cletus ... However the succession of the bishops in Rome was in the following order. Peter and Paul, and Cletus, Clement..." Epiphanius, Panarion, 27:6 (A.D. 377).

  St. Gregory of Nazianzus

 "He [St. Athanasius] is led up to the throne of Saint Mark, to succeed him in piety, no less than in office; in the latter indeed at a great distance from him, in the former, which is the genuine right of succession, following him closely. For unity in doctrine deserves unity in office; and a rival teacher sets up a rival throne; the one is a successor in reality, the other but in name. For it is not the intruder, but he whose rights are intruded upon, who is the successor, not the lawbreaker, but the lawfully appointed, not the man of contrary opinions, but the man of the same faith; if this is not what we mean by successor, he succeeds in the same sense as disease to health, darkness to light, storm to calm, and frenzy to sound sense." Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration 21:8 (A.D. 380).

  St. Ambrose

 "For they [Novatians] have not the succession of Peter, who hold not the chair of Peter, which they rend by wicked schism; and this, too, they do, wickedly denying that sins can be forgiven even in the Church, whereas it was said to Peter: 'I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven.'" Ambrose, Concerning Repentance, 7:33 (A.D. 384).

 Philastrius of Brescia

 "It has been ordained by the apostles and their successors, that nothing be read in the Catholic Church, except the law, and the prophets, and the Gospels." Philastrius of Brescia, On Heresies (ante A.D. 387).

  St. Augustine

 "If the lineal succession of bishops is to be considered with how much more benefit to the Church do we reckon from Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer it!' For to Peter succeeded Linus, Clement...Damsus, Sircius, Anastasius. In this order of succession no Donatist bishop is too be found." Augustine, To Generosus, Epistle 53:2 (A.D. 400).

  "For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: 'Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it !' The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these: -- Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, Xystus, Dionysius, Felix, Eutychianus, Gaius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, Eusebius, Miltiades, Sylvester, Marcus, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, and Siricius, whose successor is the present Bishop Anastasius. In this order of succession no Donatist bishop is found. But, reversing the natural course of things, the Donatists sent to Rome from Africa an ordained bishop, who, putting himself at the head of a few Africans in the great metropolis, gave some notoriety to the name of "mountain men," or Cutzupits, by which they were known." Augustine, To Generosus, Epistle 53:2 (A.D. 400).

  Apostolic Constitutions

 "Let a bishop be ordained by three or two bishops; but if any one be ordained by one bishop, let him be deprived, both himself and he that ordained him. But if there be a necessity that he have only one to ordain him, because more bishops cannot come together, as in time of persecution, or for such like causes, let him bring the suffrage of permission from more bishops." Apostolic Constitutions, 8:27 (A.D. 400).

  St. John Chrysostom

 "'To the fellow-Bishops and Deacons." What is this? Were there several Bishops of one city? Certainly not; but he called the Presbyters so. For then they still interchanged the titles, and the Bishop was called a Deacon. For this cause in writing to Timothy, he said, "Fulfill thy ministry,' when he was a Bishop. For that he was a Bishop appears by his saying to him, 'Lay hands hastily on no man.' (1 Tim. v. 22.) And again, 'Which was given thee with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery.' (1 Tim. iv. 14.) Yet Presbyters would not have laid hands on a Bishop. And again, in writing to Titus, he says, 'For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge. If any man is blameless, the husband of one wife' (Tit. i. 5, 6); which he says of the Bishop. And after saying this, he adds immediately, 'For the Bishop must be blameless, as God's steward, not self willed:' (Tit. i. 7.)" John Chrysostom, Homilies on Phillipians, 1:1 (A.D. 404).

  St. Jerome

 "And to Timothy he says: 'Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.'… For even at Alexandria from the time of Mark the Evangelist until the episcopates of Heraclas and Dionysius the presbyters always named as bishop one of their own number chosen by themselves and set in a more exalted position, just as an army elects a general, or as deacons appoint one of themselves whom they know to be diligent and call him archdeacon. For what function excepting ordination, belongs to a bishop that does not also belong to a presbyter? It is not the case that there is one church at Rome and another in all the world beside. Gaul and Britain, Africa and Persia, India and the East worship one Christ and observe one rule of truth. If you ask for authority, the world outweighs its capital. Wherever there is a bishop, whether it be at Rome or at Engubium, whether it be at Constantinople or at Rhegium, whether it be at Alexandria or at Zoan, his dignity is one and his priesthood is one. Neither the command of wealth nor the lowliness of poverty makes him more a bishop or less a bishop. All alike are successors of the apostles." Jerome, To Evangelus, Epistle 146:1 (ante A.D. 420).

  St. Vincent of Lerins

 "We must strive therefore in common to keep the faith which has come down to us to-day, through the Apostolic Succession." Pope Celestine [regn A.D. 422-432], To the Council of Ephesus, Epistle 18 (A.D. 431).

 "Examples there are without number: but to be brief, we will take one, and that, in preference to others, from the Apostolic See, so that it may be clearer than day to every one with how great energy, with how great zeal, with how great earnestness, the blessed successors of the blessed apostles have constantly defended the integrity of the religion which they have once received." Vincent of Lerins, Commonitory for the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith 6:15 (A.D. 434).

  St. Gregory the Great

 "Moreover, with respect to a certain bishop who, as the aforesaid magnificent men have told us, is prevented by infirmity of the head from administering his office, we have written to our brother and fellow-bishop Etherius, that if he should have intervals of freedom from this infirmity, he should make petition, declaring that he is not competent to fill his own place, and requesting that another be ordained to his Church. For during the life of a bishop, whom not his own fault but sickness, withdraws from the administration of his office, the sacred canons by no means allow another to be ordained in his place. But, if he at no time recovers the exercise of a sound mind, a person should be sought adorned with good life and conversation, who may be able both to take charge of souls, and look with salutary control after the causes and interests of the same church; and he should be such as may succeed to the bishop's place in case of his surviving him. But, if there are any to be promoted to a sacred order, or to any clerical ministry, we have ordained that the matter is to be reserved and announced to our aforesaid most reverend brother Etherius, provided it belong to his diocese, so that, enquiry having then been made, if the persons are subject to no fault which the sacred canons denounce, he himself may ordain them. Pope Gregory the Great [regn. A.D. 590-604], Epistle 6 (A.D. 602).

 Rt.Rev.Dr.Kasomo Daniel is the Prelate of The Roman Catholic Society of St.Peter and Paul.(SSPP)