Yet we believe that this is how Our Lord has structured his Church - with bishops as successors of the apostles, with and under the successor of Peter - and we should be most reluctant to second - guess Our Lord. (firstthings.com)
But the present successors of the apostles never hold their brother bishops accountable. (firstthings.com)
In some Christian traditions, the episcopacy is considered to be a continuation in history of the apostolate with the bishops regarded as successors of the apostles. (religion-online.org)