Apostolic Bond

DOMINUS IESUS details the bond that exists between the (Roman) Catholic Church and other Churches that have a valid Apostolic succession. Apostolic succession is the spiritual lineage of the present-day church that can be traced back, through the laying of hands, to one of the 12 Apostles found in Sacred Scripture.

When the church began to spread after the first Christian Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2), thousands of new believers accepted Jesus as Christ; the long awaited Messiah detailed in the Old Testament. The 12 Apostles eventually ordained the first Seven Deacons (Acts Chapter 6), and certain Apostles began traveling from town to town and ordained Bishops. These Bishops were (and still are) the continuation of the mission of the Apostles. Throughout the centuries, Bishops ordained other Bishops, and this practice still continues today. Traditionally, three Bishops will ordain one priest who will then become a new bishop. Thus, these ordinations can be traced back to one of the 12 Apostles, through the laying of hands.

On June 16th, 2000, Pope John Paul II issued the document "DOMINUS IESUS". This document was also signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect, on August 6th 2000 from the Office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which identifies churches such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, the Old Catholic Churches, and states in section 17; "The Churches which while not existing in perfect communion with the (Roman) Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by Apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular churches, Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the (Roman) Catholic Church..."