The episcopate is either the status of a bishop or the collective body of all bishops of a church. In the Roman Catholic, Anglican (including the Episcopal Church in the United States of America), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Old-Catholic churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in the Lutheran churches of the Porvoo Communion, as well as Independent Catholic Churches, it is held that only a person in a line of succession of bishops dating back to the Apostles can be a Christian bishop, and only such a person can validly ordain Christian clergy. The succession must be transmitted from each bishop to a successor by the rite of Holy Orders. Bishops in such a succession compose the historic episcopate. This is also called the apostolic succession, but that term is also used in a variety of other ways.

The Roman Catholic Church holds that a bishop's consecration is valid if the sacrament of Holy

The Eastern Orthodox Church holds that a bishop's consecration is less than fully valid if it is not within the "One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church", i.e., one of the canonical Eastern Orthodox churches. In many cases, the doctrine of ekonomia is applied to such bishops if they convert to Orthodoxy.

The Eastern Orthodox position on Anglican orders is a grey area, involving disagreements among theologians and bishops. Because of changes in the Ordinal (the rites of Holy Orders) under King Edward VI, the Roman Catholic Church does not recognize Anglican Holy Orders as valid, although they are recognized (and participated-in) by Old-Catholics, whose Holy Orders are considered valid by Rome.

See also

• Episcopalian church governance