THE ONE, TRUE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH

 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, was Crucified, and Resurrected. I believe in the Holy Spirit.              I believe in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.     I believe in the resurrection of the body.   I believe in life everlasting, Amen.

CC 19   Who is the other ancient witness ?

2.         St.Irenaeus

Irenaeus was born about the year 140 a.C. in Smyrna (modern Turkey). He became Bishop of Lyon, France, where he suffered martyrdom in the year 203.  Earlier in his youth Irenaeus was a disciple of St.John the Evangelist.

What does Irenaeus teach about Apostolic Succession ?

The principal work of Irenaeus is his treatise….”Against Heresies” (Adversus Haereses) . Basing his arguments on Sacred Scripture, Irenaeus demonstrates that heretics are in the wrong, because they are outside of, and cut off from the Apostolic Succession.

Thus writes Irenaeus: “Therefore, all who want to know the truth, can follow in all the churches, the Tradition of the Apostles.  We can enumerate those who were appointed Bishops of the churches of the Apostles, and their successors, to the present day.  Whatever these taught has nothing to do with what the heretics were teaching nor to their fantasies…”

Irenaeus goes on:  “But since it would be long, in a volume like this, to enumerate the successors of the churches, we shall examine the greatest and the most ancient Church, known to all, established in Rome by the glorious Apostles Peter and Paul.

“We shall also demonstrate that, the Tradition which she received from the Apostles and the Faith which she proclaimed to all men, have reached us through the succession of Bishops.” (Adversas Haereses, Bk. III, n.3,2.)    /CC20

Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Nuncio of Benghazi.