The pope is working on overturning Vatican II. Today, he re-asserted the primacy of popery. He said the Orthodox were true churches, but defective due to their unwillingness to recognize His Papal Majesty. Protestants? Well, we're not even recognized as churches. The reason? Apostolic succession. It amazes me that so many people are interested in apostolic succession. Apostolic succession as the test of the true church is laughable.

The Orthodox have apostolic succession, but they are rife with atheist holdovers from communism. Rome has apostolic succession but they protect and gloss over pedophile priests, continually contradict themselves in councils (see the Council of Orange and the denunciation of the Jansenists in 1711), and throw around temporal power like they are some sort of temporal kingdom (which they are). ECUSA and The Church of England have apostolic succession and I really don't want to re-hash all those problems.

I am really dying to ask one of these ecumenical Joint Declaration on Faith advocates what they think about all this.