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!
In the Catholic Church, the bishops are the successors of the apostles. Technically, any bishop can ordain another man as bishop, but because it would make no sense for a bishop to be alienated from the Pope, in practice it’s the Pope who selects new bishops, from names recommended to him by his representatives as well as by clergy and people of the local churches. It’s not a perfect process, but we rely on the promises of Jesus to protect his Church and preserve her in holiness.