Editing Patriarch Simon XVI (section)

==Papacy==
===Election===
Paul XXV died of terminal stomach cancer in January 2003. His illness was publicly known and many in the Church had been anticipating his death for a number of months. Msgr. Alderdyce once more travelled to Sanctus to take part in a special Synod of Bishops to elect the new Patriarch of the Church. In start contrast to the previous Synods, however, most media outlets and publications were now openly predicting that Alderdyce would be elected as the new Archbishop of Sanctus; he had "enhanced national stature" one publication said, while another conservative outlet lauded him as "defender of the unborn".
[[File:Simon XVI Game.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Simon XVI at an open-air event]]
It only took two ballots in the March 2003 Synod to elect Alderdyce as the new Archbishop of Sanctus. His election meant that for the first since since 1402, the Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria hadn't previously served as Archbishop of Haven, or as a Bishop in the Sanctus Province. Alderdyce took Simon as his name, and became Simon XVI.

===Inter-faith dialogue===
Simon XVI's election was welcomed by the then-Chief Rabbi of Sancaria, Tobias Abitbol, and the then-Chief Imam of Sancyaria, Sheikh Dr. Sayyid Banisadr, who issued a joint statement saying his outreach work while a Bishop in Corpus has fostered friendship between the religious communities, and that both Muslims and Jews felt welcome at his table. Both Rabbi Abitbol and Dr. Banisadr were invited to, and attended, the inauguration mass of Simon XVI in April 2003.

Throughout his papacy, Simon XVI sought to build a consensus with other religious communities when it came to giving moral or religious statements on current or political affairs. In 2005, for example, the Chief Imam joined with him in condemning same-sex marriage as it was being debated in Parliament. The three leaders of the three major religions in Sanctaria also often came together to jointly condemn violence, usually abroad, but in rare circumstances violence that occurred within Sanctaria.

===Moral theology===
====Contraception====
In 2008, Simon XVI relaxed Church law and attitudes regarding contraception, saying that "married couples who have lived goodly lives, and have produced at least four children in the Sanctarian Catholic faith shall be granted indulgences to use contraception". He was a frequent opponent to Sanctaria's liberalised laws and attitudes towards contraception, saying the "morning after pill is from Satan himself".

====Abortion====
Simon XVI called on clerics in the Church of Sanctaria, as well as lay members of the Church, to "regularly protest" Sanctaria's laws on abortion, which permitted it in may circumstances. When, during the [[Government of Sanctaria#7th Government of Sanctaria|Kindle government]], the [[Secretary for Health (Sanctaria)|Secretary for Health]] Dr. [[George Merlinson]] proposed tightening the abortion laws, Simon XVI directed every priest and bishop reading Mass the following Sunday to praise him from the pulpit, and to call him a "pious defender of human life".

In general election campaigns, Simon XVI called on the public to vote for [[Christian Union Party (Sanctaria)|Christian Union Party]] candidates as they "respect religion, religious teaching, and religious authority, particularly surrounding the scourge that is state-sponsored murder of babies - abortion".

====Homosexuality====
Simon XVI frequently spoke out against same-sex attraction and marriage during his tenure as Patriarch. He said "two men married is a mockery of Our Father", and that "normalising deviant lifestyles will corrupt our children". His frequent attacks on the LGBT community attracted criticism from successive governments since his election.