Apostolic succession is the doctrine that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have the same authority, power, and responsibility as was conferred upon the apostles by Jesus.
This doctrine has particular effect in the Romans Catholic Church, which hold that the current pope is the direct successor of the apostle Peter. This originates with Pope Anicetus (156-166), who, during the course of a theological argument with Polycarp of Smyrna, claimed that Peter had travelled to Rome to lead the Christians there and had been beheaded in Rome, meaning that he (Anicetus) spoke with the authority of Peter. Clement of Rome, writing around 95 CE (
1 Clement), spoke in general terms about the life and death of Peter but appears to have been unaware that he had even visited Rome.