How can I know my priest stands in an unbroken line of apostolic succession?
A viewer worries that if there were even one break in the line of apostolic succession it would negate the legitimacy of what followed, and asks how he can truly know his priest is in an unbroken line.
Answer
Of course, if there is a break in the line, you had better worry; you cannot take that logic away. But your question begs another question: how would you prove that the line is broken? If you cannot prove it, then stop worrying about it. The normal progression is that a priest has hands laid on him by the bishop who ordains him, just as Paul did to Timothy and then told Timothy to do to others, not hastily, and we read of exactly this in the early writings of the Fathers: they got qualified men, held a ceremony laying hands on them, and made them priests. So if that is the normal progression we see, that is what we would expect to have continued, unless something came along and broke it, and we do not know of anything that broke it, because we keep seeing churches, and those churches would not have been established except by legitimate priests. So until you can prove otherwise, believe it.