The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

APOSTOLICTTY. 69claim with many of these seceders, the better foryou, as they all advocated errors against Christiantruth, and some of them disseminated principles atvariance with decency and morality.The Catholic Church, on the contrary, can easilyvindicate the title of Apostolic, because she derivesher origin from the Apostles. Every Priest andBishop can trace his genealogy to the first disciples of Christ with as much facility as the mostremote branch of a vine can be traced to the mainstem.All the Catholic Clergy in the United States, forinstance, were ordained only by Bishops who are hiactive communion with the See of Rome. TheseBishops themselves received their commission fromthe Bishop of Rome. The present Bishop of Rome,Pius IX., is the successor of Gregory XVI., who succeeded Pius VIII., who was the successor of LeoXII. And thus we go back from century to century till we come to Peter, the firstBishop of Rome,Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar of Christ. Likethe Evangelist Luke, who tracesthe genealogy ofour Saviour back to Adam and to God, we can tracethe pedigree of Pius IX. to Peter and to Christ.There is not a link wanting in the chain whichbinds the humblest Priest in the land to the Princeof the Apostles. And although on a few occasionsthere happened to be two or even three claimantsfor the chair of Peter, these counter-claims could nomore affect the validity of the legitimate Pope than