The apostles, and after them the successors appointed by them.
Thank you for answering!
How are the appointments made? Who decided who’s next in line?
(And are we talking about Catholic doctrine or Protestant? I’m getting lost in the thread.)
Please know that I’m genuinely curious and not trying to pick a fight or make anyone defensive. I entered this thread with the intention to understand and I greatly appreciate those who’ve made a true effort to address what, appears to be, discrepancies between the two major branches of Christianity.
We have some smart FReepers!