Apostolic Succession

Episcopal Authority

How is the church of today recognized to be identical with the Church founded by Christ upon the Apostles? 

A mark exists by which a church can indicate that is linked with the historical church. Today’s Church can claim to be authentic if its primary mission is to teach the infallible doctrine of Christ, that which He committed to His disciples.

They absolutely require that the deposit of faith entrusted to them by the Lord should remain unchanged. There is the authoritative transmission of power in the church as one moral body possessing the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ to the Apostles and transmitted through them and their lawful successors in an unbroken chain to a series of persons from the apostolic age to the present. Consequently, the mission of the church should be traceable back to  the Apostles - neither gap nor break is allowed as the mission conferred by Jesus Christ must pass from generation to generation through an uninterrupted lawful succession. In a nutshell, the mission conferred by Jesus Christ upon the Apostles must pass from their legitimate successors, in an unbroken line, until the end of the world. This is what “Apostolic Succession” (Apostolicity in current jargon) is all about.

For the International Communion of Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC), spiritual leadership is much deeper than the personal conviction of God’s calling, beyond acquired education and more than gained experience. The ICCEC possesses the sure stamp of authenticity of the historic  faith received from  Ingreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira ( Catholic Apostolic Church of Brasil), an apostolic succession through pure line of undisputed orthodox Christianity, thereby aligning with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

The Rebiba Apostolic Lineage

Carlos Duarte Costa was ordained a Brazilian Bishop in 1924 in the Roman Catholic Church. He was very outspoken in defending the poor. In 1937 at the insistence of the dictatorial Getulio Vargas regime in Brazil, the Vatican forced Msgr. Costa to retire as Bishop of Botucatu. Nonetheless, he continued in speaking out on behalf of the poor and, in 1944, was even imprisoned for several months because of his opposition to the Brazilian government's protection of Nazis and the Pope's refusal to speak out against the German war crimes. Finally, in 1945, after protesting the Vatican's having assisted several Nazis find refuge in Brazil he broke with Rome and established the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil.

Over the next fifteen years, Msgr. Costa, along with the first two bishops he consecrated (Bishop Salameo Ferraz and Bishop Luis Fernando Castillo-Mendez) helped form in Latin America several other Catholic Apostolic Churches.

Salameo Ferraz was born in Sao Paolo Brazil in the latter part of the nineteenth century. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1935. On August 15, 1945 he left the Roman Catholic Church and was received into the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil. He was immediately consecrated coadjutor bishop by Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa. In 1958 Bishop Ferraz, now a married Catholic Apostolic bishop, returned to the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII. He was never re-consecrated a bishop by the Roman Catholic Church, not even conditionally (sub conditione). By receiving Bishop 

Ferraz in this manner, the Roman Catholic Church thereby affirmed both de jure and de facto that the consecration he received within the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil was valid.

Bishop Ferraz was an active speaker in all four sessions of the Vatican Council II, and was named titular bishop of Eleuterna in Crete by Pope John XXIII on May 12, 1963. It was in this capacity that he died in 1969 and buried with full honors accorded a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1944. Like Msgr. Costa, he was a champion of the poor in Venezuela and was exiled for nine months on an island without food or clothing. Fisherman came to his rescue and eventually he was able to escape exile and went to Panama where he was consecrated a Bishop by Msgr. Costa in 1948. He is the sole surviving bishop consecrated by Msgr. Costa. 

Below is the Apostolic line of The International Communion of Charismatic Episcopal Church in the Costa-Mendez lineage of the Rebiba Succession of the Roman Catholic Church.

AUSTIN RANDOLPH ADLER was consecrated Bishop for the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church on November 5, 1997 by Luis Castillo Mendez with Dom Josivaldo Olivera and Dom Olinto Ferreira Pinto Filho as co-consecrators. Nine days later, in New York City, in the consecration of Bishop Craig Bates, all but six of the bishops of the ICCEC received this new apostolic line. The remaining bishops, subsequently, all received it as well.

LUIS CASTILLO MENDEZ was consecrated Bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church Brazil on May 3, 1948 by Carlos Duarte-Costa, Primate and founding bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil.

CARLOS DUARTE-COSTA was consecrated Titular Bishop of Maura and Diocesan Bishop of Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil of t he Roman Catholic Church on December 8, 1924 by Sebastiao Leme de Silveira Cintra, Titular Bishop of Orthosia who was also later Cardinal and Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro; assisted by Dom Alberto Jose Goncalves and Dom Beneditio Paulo Alves de Souza. Duart-Costa established the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil July 6, 1945 subsequent to his expulsion from the Roman Catholic Church by Pius PP XII.

SEBASTIAO LEME DE SILVEIRA CINTRA was consecrated Titular Bishop of Orthosia on June 4, 1911 by Joaquin de Alburquerque-Calvacanti, Bishop of Goia, and was later named Cardinal and Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro.

JOAQUIN DE ALBURQUERQUE-CALVACANTI was consecrated Bishop of Goia on October 26, 1890 by Mariano Rampolla Marchese del Tindaro, Titular Archbishop of Heraclea; and was later named Cardinal in 1905.

MARIANO RAMPOLLA MARCHESE DEL TINDARO was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Heraclea on December 8, 1882 by Edward Howard, Titular Archbishop of Neocaesarea and Auxilary Bishop of Frascati; and later named Cardinal in 1887.

EDWARD HOWARD was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Neocaesarea and Auxiliary Bishop of Frascati on June 30, 1872 by Cardinal Charles Sacconi, Titular Archbishop of Nicaea. assisted by Archbishops Salvator Nobili Vitelleschi and Franciscus Xaverius Fredericus de Merode; and was later named Cardinal.

CHARLES SACCONI was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Nicaea on June 8, 181 by James Phillip Fransoni, Archbishop of Nazianzus; and was later named Cardinal.

JAMES PHILLIP FRANSONI was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Nazianzus on December 8, 1822 by Peter Francis Galetti, Titular Archbishop of Damascus, assisted by Patriarch Joseph Valerga and Bishop Rudensindus Salvado; and was later named Cardinal.

PETER FRANCIS GALETTI was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Damascus on September 12, 1819 by Alexander Matthaeus, Archbishop of Ferrara, assisted by Archbishops Joannes Franciscus Falzacappa and Josephus delia Porta Rondlana; and in 1803 was named Cardinal.

ALEXANDER MATTHAEUS was consecrated Archbishop of Ferrara on February 23, 1777 by Bernadinus Giraud, Titular Archbishop of Damascus, assisted by Bishops Geraldus Macloti and Franciscus Albertini; and in 1779 was named Cardinal.

BERNADINUS GIRAUD was consecrated Titular Archbishop of Damasucs on APril 26, 1767 by Carlo Rezzonico, Cardinal Bishop of Padova, assisted by Archbishop Marcus Antionius Conti and Bishop Losefus Maria Carafa.

CARLO della Torre REZZONICO, Cardinal Bishop of Padova; the future Pope Clement XIII was consecrated March 19, 1743 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV, assisted by Giuseppe Cardinal Accoramboni, Bishop of Frascati and Antonio Saverio Cardinal Gentili.

PROSPERO LAMBERTINI, Titular Archbishop of Theodosia, the future Pope Benedict XIV was consecrated July 16, 1724 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M.Ref., Titular Archbishop of Myra and Nicola Maria Lercari, Titular Archbishop of Nazianzus. Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini and those previous to him, are in the Episcopal Lineage of His Holiness, John Paul II - Karl Wojtyla.

VICENZO MARIA ORSINI, O.P., Cardinal Archbishop of Manfredonia, the future Pope Benedict XII was consecrated February 3, 1675 in the Church of SS Dominco e Sisto, Rome, by Paluzzo (Paluzzo degli Albertoni) Cardinal Altieri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, assisted by Stefano Brancaccio, Archbishop-Bishop of Viterbo e Tuscania and Costanzo Zani, O.S.B., Bishop of Imola.

PALUZZO (PALUZZI degli ALBERTONI) ALTIERI, Cardinal Bishop of Bontifiascone e Corneto was consecrated May 2, 1666 in the Church of San Silvestro in Capite, Rome, by Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna, assisted by Stafano Ugolini, Titular Archbishop of Corinth and Giovanni Tommaso Pinelli, Bishop of Albenga.

ULDERICO CARPEGNA, Bishop of Gubbio was consecrated October 7, 1630 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, By Luigi Cardinal Caetani, assisted by Antonio Ricciulli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro and Vicegerent of Rome, and Benedetto Landi, Bishop of Fossombrone.

LUIGI CAETANI, Titulare Patriarch of Antioc was consecrated June 12, 1622 in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, by Lodovico Cardinal Ludovisi, Archbishop of Bologna, assisted by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Vulpiano Volpi, Archbishop emeritus of Chieti.

LODOVICO LUDOVISI, Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna was consecrated May 2, 1621 in the private chapel of his consecrator, near Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, assisted by Cosmo de Torres, Titular Archbishop of Hadrianopolis and Ottavio Ridolfi, Bishop of Ariano.

GALEAZZO SANVITALE, Archbishop of Bari was consecrated April 4, 1604 in the chapel of the Apostolic Sacristy, Rome, by Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P., Bishop of Albano, assisted by Claudio Rangoni, Bishop of Piacenza and Giovanni Ambrogio Caccia, Bishop of Castro di Toscana.

GIROLAMO BERNERIO, O.P. Bishop of Ascoli Piceno was consecrated September 7, 1586 in the Basikca of the Twelve Holy Apostoles, Rome, by Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santoro, asisted by Giulio Masetti, Bishop of Reggio Emilia and Ottaviano Patrvicini, Bishop of Alexandria.

GIULIO ANTONIO SANTORO, Archbishop of Santa Severina was consecrated March 12, 1566 in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace by Scipinoe Cardinal Rebiba, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople, assisted by Annibale Caracciolo, Bishop of Isola and Giacomo de Giacomelli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro.

SCIPIONE REBIBA, Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary Bishop of Chieti, Elected Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxilary to Gian Pietro Cardinal Carafa, Archbishop of Chiete, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople, was consecrated on March 16, 1541 by Gian Pietro Cardinal Carafa who became Pope Paul IV.

Scipione Cardinal Rebiba is the source point for the episcopal lineage of a vast marjority of bishops with roots in the Roman Catholic lineage. The episcopal lineage is important to the Church because it is one viable and visible link for the contemporary church to the founding Apostles and Jesus Christ himself. In Matthew 28: 18-20, commonly called the Apostolic Commission, Jesus states four important facts. The Apostles were to (1) Make Disciples, (2) Baptize, (3) and Teach. The fourth was Jesus' promise to always be with them. The Bishop is an icon of Jesus Christ's authority in His Church and authentic Apostolic Succession gives assurance to believers of Jesus' Headship over the Church.

The Apostolic Succession is traced via different consecration lines within the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican communions. The lineage from Sipione Cardinal Rebiba to the present day is important to be noted because it was after the time of the Rebiba Succession that the Church in England separated from the Roman Catholic Church and many Roman Catholic bishops trace their lineage through Rebiba. The consecration lineage of Anglican (Episcopal) bishops is traced back to St Peter via a different line. Although dealing with the lineage of the Anglican Mission in America, an excellent treatment of the importance of Apostolic Succession and various links of references can be viewed at http://www.theistic-evolution.com/succession.html of special interest are the links referencing that of His Holiness, John Paul II.