Apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the doctrine in some of the more ancient Christian communions that the succession of bishops, in uninterrupted lines, is historically traceable back to the original Twelve Apostles Within Catholic Christianity it "is one of four elements which define the true Church of Jesus Christ" and legitimizes the existing sacramental offices, as it is considered necessary for a bishop to perform legitimate or "valid" ordinations of priests, deacons, and other bishops. Apostolic_succession
Independent Catholic Churches Independent Catholic churches are Christian denominations (or congregations) which claim apostolic succession for their bishops but are not a part of the Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Old Catholic Churches under the Archbishop of Utrecht or the Anglican Communion. Independent Catholic bishops are sometimes referred to as episcopi vagantes ("wandering bishops") because of their lack of affiliation with a larger communion of churches. Independent_Catholic_Churches