Complex sentence: Christ referred to this when he gave the apostles the authority to "bind and to loose" (Matthew 16:19,18:18), and this authority in turn was transmitted to the bishops who came after the apostles.
Split into simpler sentences: Christ referred to this when he gave the apostles the authority to "bind and to loose" (Matthew 16:19,18:18). This authority was transmitted to the bishops who came after the apostles.