thinks Clement was the first bishop, ordained by Peter.23 Irenaeus, by contrast, states the Roman episcopate began with Linus, who was appointed not by Peter specifically, but by Peter and Paul as apostles: “The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate.”24
Good point here. Do catholics claim to know the exact succession line?
