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I'm assuming you're sola scriptura person. Who do you think gave you the Scriptures?

The Church was there with the first apostles. You probably don't know this, but every Catholic bishop has a "pedigree" going back to the Apostle who ordained his line of bishops. Bishops are the successors to the Apostles, and the priests ordained by them are "ministers," that is, people carrying out the work delegated to them.

Most of the records were kept in the Vatican library and were destroyed (by the French, IIRC) in an attack on Italy in the 16th cenyury.

Do a little historical research and you might become a Catholic. One can only hope, and I will be praying for you.

"I'm assuming you're sola scriptura person. Who do you think gave you the Scriptures? "

God. Passed by way of the Jews and Greeks, primarily.

There are several churches as old as the RCC, livius.

"The Church was there with the first apostles. "

The RCC has no more a connection to the Apostles than any other denomination. We are all their inheritors, not just Rome.

"You probably don't know this, but every Catholic bishop has a "pedigree" going back to the Apostle who ordained his line of bishops."

This is only an RCC teaching, which makes your argument circular.

"Bishops are the successors to the Apostles, and the priests ordained by them are "ministers," that is, people carrying out the work delegated to them."

This is also false.

"Do a little historical research and you might become a Catholic. One can only hope, and I will be praying for you."

I have done such research. In fact, that's the reason I call myself Protestant. I have nothing particularly against the RCC as an institution. I just don't accept RCC teaching as fact without Scripture to back it up. You are free to believe Church tradition as you will, but don't expect your statements to go unchallenged by non-Catholic Christians that they aren't "Christians" and that the RCC is the only Church. It is not. We are all in this little war with Islam together and it's about time to recognize what Christ was talking about when he referred to his Church - the body of believers, not a specific quasi-political organization founded in Rome centuries after he ascended - despite that this may conflict with Roman Catholic teaching. I think the Pope recognizes this in his increased contacts with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Perhaps you should follow his example.

The reason the RCC became ascendant among the other Christian churches was Constantine.