Cruciform
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You're daft. Augustine believed and defended the Catholic teaching on the papacy, as is readily apparent with even a cursory look at his writings.
"In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (Jn 21:15-19), down to the present episcopate."
~ St. Augustine (354–430), Against the Epistle of Manichaeus called Fundamental, chapter 4: Proofs of the Catholic Faith
"If the very order of episcopal succession is to be considered, how much more surely, truly, and safely do we number them from Peter himself, to whom as to one representing the whole Church, the Lord said, 'Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer it .' Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus, Anacletus by Evaristus, Evaristus by Sixtus, Sixtus by Telesphorus, Telesphorus by Hyginus, Hyginus by Anicetus, Anicetus by Pius, Pius by Soter, Soter by Alexander, Alexander by Victor, Victor by Zephyrinus, Zephyrinus by Callistus, Callistus by Urban, Urban by Pontianus, Pontianus by Anterus, Anterus by Fabian, Fabian by Cornelius, Cornelius by Lucius, Lucius by Stephen, Stephen by Sixtus, Sixtus by Dionysius, Dionysius by Felix, Felix by Eutychian, Eutychian by Caius, Caius by Marcellus, Marcellus by Eusebius, Eusebius by Melchiades, Melchiades by Sylvester, Sylvester by Mark, Mark by Julius, Julius by Liberius, Liberius by Damasus, Damasus by Siricius, Siricius by Anastasius. In order of succession not a Donatist bishop is to be found" [53, 1, 2].
"In the first place, I want you to hold as basic to this discussion that our Lord Jesus Christ, as He Himself said in the Gospel, subjected us to His yoke and to His burden, which are light. He has therefore obliged the society of His new people [New Covenant people] to the Sacraments, very few in number, very easy of observance, and most sublime in meaning. Such, for example is Baptism, consecrated in the name of the Trinity; the Communion of His Body and Blood and whatever else is commended in the canonical Scriptures, except those things which are read in the five books of Moses [Old Covenant sacraments], which imposed on the old people [Old Covenant people] a servitude in accord with their hearts and the prophetic times in which they lived. But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition [Apostolic Tradition], we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the Apostles themselves or by plenary councils, the authority of which is quite vital to the Church [assuming here the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the Church] [54, 5, 7].
~ St. Augustine, Letter to Generosus [400 A.D.] on Apostolic Succession
~ St. Augustine (354–430), Against the Epistle of Manichaeus called Fundamental, chapter 4: Proofs of the Catholic Faith
"If the very order of episcopal succession is to be considered, how much more surely, truly, and safely do we number them from Peter himself, to whom as to one representing the whole Church, the Lord said, 'Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer it .' Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus, Anacletus by Evaristus, Evaristus by Sixtus, Sixtus by Telesphorus, Telesphorus by Hyginus, Hyginus by Anicetus, Anicetus by Pius, Pius by Soter, Soter by Alexander, Alexander by Victor, Victor by Zephyrinus, Zephyrinus by Callistus, Callistus by Urban, Urban by Pontianus, Pontianus by Anterus, Anterus by Fabian, Fabian by Cornelius, Cornelius by Lucius, Lucius by Stephen, Stephen by Sixtus, Sixtus by Dionysius, Dionysius by Felix, Felix by Eutychian, Eutychian by Caius, Caius by Marcellus, Marcellus by Eusebius, Eusebius by Melchiades, Melchiades by Sylvester, Sylvester by Mark, Mark by Julius, Julius by Liberius, Liberius by Damasus, Damasus by Siricius, Siricius by Anastasius. In order of succession not a Donatist bishop is to be found" [53, 1, 2].
"In the first place, I want you to hold as basic to this discussion that our Lord Jesus Christ, as He Himself said in the Gospel, subjected us to His yoke and to His burden, which are light. He has therefore obliged the society of His new people [New Covenant people] to the Sacraments, very few in number, very easy of observance, and most sublime in meaning. Such, for example is Baptism, consecrated in the name of the Trinity; the Communion of His Body and Blood and whatever else is commended in the canonical Scriptures, except those things which are read in the five books of Moses [Old Covenant sacraments], which imposed on the old people [Old Covenant people] a servitude in accord with their hearts and the prophetic times in which they lived. But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition [Apostolic Tradition], we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the Apostles themselves or by plenary councils, the authority of which is quite vital to the Church [assuming here the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the Church] [54, 5, 7].
~ St. Augustine, Letter to Generosus [400 A.D.] on Apostolic Succession
Also see THIS.
