Church of Sanctaria

Church of Sanctaria
Ecclesia Terra Sancti
Basilica of St. George in Heaven, Sanctus
Orientation	Catholic
Polity	Episcopal
Patriarch	Patrick X
Region	Sanctaria the IDU
Language	English Latin
Headquarters	Episcopal Palace, Sanctus Sanctaria
Separated from	Roman Catholic Church (985 AD)
Members	228 million
Tax status	Charity
Other name(s)	Sanctarian Catholic Church
Official website	cos.sct

The Church of Sanctaria (Latin: Ecclesia Terra Sancti), also known as the Sanctarian Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church in Sanctaria, with more than 228 million members worldwide. It is also the state church of Sanctaria. As one of the oldest religious institutions in the International Democratic Union, it has played a prominent part in the history and the development of civilisation in the western part of the region. The church is headed by the Archbishop of Sanctus, who is more commonly known as the Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria, or, simply, the Patriarch. Its central administration is located in Sanctus, capital of Sanctaria.

The Sanctarian Catholic Church split from the Roman Catholic Church, and renounced the authority of the Roman Pope, in 985 AD when Julius, a missionary sent by the Roman Church, discovered what he believed was "the holy land". Records suggest Julius did not want to cede authority of this new land, located far from any lands previously mapped, to the Church in Rome and he subsequently declared himself head of the Church he was proselytising on behalf of. Current teaching in the Roman Catholic Church is the missionary known as Julius was presumed dead shortly after his journey began.

The Church's teachings are broadly similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church, in that, while it was founded by Julius, its bishops are the successors of the apostles of Jesus Christ, and that the Patriarch is the successor to Saint Peter to whom primacy was conferred by Christ.

A primary difference, however, between the Church of Sanctaria and the Roman Catholic Church is regarding the sacrament of the Eucharist. While the Roman Catholic Church teaches that consecrated bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ, the Church of Sanctaria maintains that the blood and wine become only blessed symbols of Christ's body and blood. The Virgin Mary is also venerated in the Church of Sanctaria, however the Roman Church's Marion theology is far more dogmatic. The Sanctarian Church's teaching includes sanctification through faith and evangelisation of the Gospel as well as Catholic social teaching, which emphasises voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Church of Sanctaria is one of the largest non-government providers of education in Sanctaria.

From the mid 20th century, the Church of Sanctaria has been criticised for its traditionalist beliefs, particularly its attitudes towards women, views on homosexuality, and also for its refusals to publish transparent financial records.

History

Rise of the Church (985—1380)

Arrival of Christianity

According to tradition, Christianity in the form of the Church of Sanctaria arrived in the International Democratic Union, in land now considered to be western Sanctaria, in the year 985 with the landing of the Roman Catholic missionary known to scholars today only as Julius. The historical evidence of that time suggests that the native people, who were tribal, believed in local polytheistic religions, though the number, names, and variety of the gods they worshipped differed from tribe to tribe. Initially making little progress by way of converting local tribal chieftains, contemporary records believed to have been written by Julius himself, or at the least an assistant or scribe travelling with him, explains that he came across one particular tribe that believed him to be the earthly personification of one their gods.

Although assuming the mantle of a god or idol is forbidden by Christianity, Julius used this leverage to convince the tribe, and more importantly their chieftain, that the one true religion was a monotheistic Christian one, and that while he was not the God himself, he was his earthly messenger. It is believed by scholars today that this initial method of conversion - representing himself as God's representative on earth, which had hitherto in Christianity been the Roman Pope - led Julius to officially break from the Roman Catholic Church, remain in Sanctaria, rename the religion as the Sanctarian Catholic Church, and appoint himself as that sect's Pope-like figure, that he called the Patriarch.

Having initially won over one tribe, Julius used his position as their spiritual leader to convince them to wage war against smaller tribes, using the practice of right of conquest as the basis for spreading Christianity in the area, at least at first. By 989, it is documented that at least six tribes had united under the leadership of one chieftain, a King Aefrid, who had Julius and the Church of Sanctaria as their spiritual leader. Contemporary records suggest that his new united tribe was significant in size and that Julius himself instructed them daily in Christian belief. By 991, records exist of Julius having left that tribe to convert other, similarly sized groups in the region, to great success; the tribe he left remained large, believing in the Christian god and Julius as that god's representative, while these new tribes also began to accept the Sanctarian Catholic Church, and Julius as their spiritual leader.

Surviving page of the Korn Accord

Beginnings of temporal power

One of the earliest surviving documents of that era of Sanctarian history is what is known as the Korn Accord. Dated to be from around 997, this document details the meeting of two great tribes, whose lands and holdings were of considerable size, and who had been at war on and off for centuries. The Accord tells us that, tired of warring, and having been "enlightened in the way of Christ", the tribes had decided to unite under one leader. The document, written in Latin, and some scholars believe by Julius' own hand, explains that a "neutral and wise party" that the two chieftains had decided to unite under was "a messenger of Christ himself" - Julius.

The uniting of the two groups, and their significant tribal kingdoms, was the first instance of temporal power, as opposed to spiritual power, that the Church of Sanctaria was to wield. Though the Papal Kingdom of Sanctaria was not to be officially formed for another few hundred years, it is understood from the Korn Accord that Julius intended his Sanctarian Catholic Church to attempt to mirror the Roman Catholic Church in size and influence. Incidentally, the Korn Accord also mentions for the first time in written history what was to become the name of the nation, Sanctaria, when it talks of "the united lands we name Terra Sanctus".

It is documented that Julius died only a year or so later in 998, leaving behind information on how his successor, chosen by him before later formal processes were implemented, was to be treated like the next earthy messenger from God, because God had told Julius who to pick. His successor, whose birth name has been lost to history, took the regnal name of Paul and reigned until 1011. Not much is known about this patriarch, or a number of the subsequent patriarchs, other than they did not seek to expand the religion or their temporal power, instead focusing on education of their new and growing faithful; this can be assumed because of the significant jump in written records over the next forty years, suggesting that Julius and his successor Paul had implemented some sort of education system that taught the tribal natives English and Latin.

It was during the 11th century, generally accepted to be during the reign of Patriarch Christopher I, that the archbishopric of Sanctus was designated as the primary See, and that whoever held the office of Archbishop of Sanctus would be the Patriarch of the Church. Sanctus, a city on the southern coast of the lands referred to as Terra Sanctus, had fertile lands and existing docks for trading ships. No formal declaration exists but tradition holds that Sanctus was designated the capital of the Terra Sanctus in the year 1055, during the reign of Christopher I.

Growth and organisation

Throughout the remainder of the 11th century, and the beginning of the 12th, successive patriarchs focused on growing the organisation of the Sanctarian Catholic Church itself, including adopting the name of Ecclesia Terra Sancti, meaning the Church of the Holy Land. This part of Sanctarian history also saw the area's name, Terra Sanctus, quickly corrupt into Sancti Terra, and finally Sanctaria, due to the influx of trade from other nations, and the adoption of Latin and English as commonly spoken languages. By the reign of Gregory IV in the 1160s, the nation was almost exclusively called, and referred to, as Sanctaria.

Gregory IV's reign also saw the better organisation of Provinces and Dioceses within Sanctaria; prior to Gregory IV's reign, the patriarch appointed any cleric who pleased him a bishop, regardless of whether or not that person actually had a diocese or see to run. In 1158, Gregory IV issued what scholars believe to be equivalent to a constitution, in English called The State of the Church, in which he spelled out the organisation as first and foremost parishes, led by a priest, then dioceses led by a bishop, then provinces led by an archbishop. He did, however, include the title and position of cardinal, something borrowed from the Roman Church, as a personal gift of the patriarch, which would continue to be given to a cleric who was favoured by the patriarch. An addendum to The State of the Church was issued in 1168, saying only those bishops who held the title of cardinal were eligible to be chosen as a successor to the patriarch. The 1168 amendment also clarified that it would be the bishops sitting as a group who would choose a cardinal to be Archbishop of Sanctus whenever that see was vacant; previously the patriarch chose a successor on his deathbed, if he was physically able to. This tradition of bishops choosing a cardinal from among their number to be patriarch continued until 2003 when Simon XVI was the first non-Cardinal to be chosen, the position and title discontinued from 1974.

By the late 1200s, most of the land now considered modern Sanctaria were fully Christian, though not all had ceded temporal authority to the patriarch. The Church's own ranks of priests and bishops had ballooned and, according to the Church's own records, the vast majority of people in Sanctaria were literate in at least one of English or Latin, a fact which scholars suggest was likely exaggerated, but otherwise very notable in its own right.

Militancy and cementing of temporal rule

Drawing of Patriarch Gregory VI (1380—1386) who declared the Papal Kingdom of Sanctaria

Between 1369 and 1386, the Archbishopric of Sanctus was held by successive patriarchs who academics commonly refer to as "The Warrior Patriarchs". These individuals, Adrian II, Adrian III, and Gregory VI, are known more for their militancy and thirst for warfare and conquest than they are for any spiritual or religious dogma or acts. Beginning with Adrian II, who was elected Patriarch in 1369, these patriarchs unified any vestiges of tribal military that still existed even centuries after the unification of tribes and tribal life, such as separate armies or militia for certain parts of Sanctaria. Called the Blessed Army of the Patriarch, this unified force was dispatched by the successive patriarch to lands who, while followers of the Church of Sanctaria, had not ceded sovereignty to the patriarch. Adrian III in particular, who reigned from 1377 to 1380, often personally led this army into battle against local tribal chieftains and kings, who were often matchless against the numbers the Blessed Army possessed. In October 1380, Adrian III was wounded at the Battle of the Mountain Pass by a stray arrow from, contemporary records say, one of his own soldiers. The Battle of the Mountain Pass was the final battle in the Papal Wars, and ended with the local tribal king pledging loyalty, subservience, and fealty to the dying Adrian III. Adrian III was said to be less than gracious in victory and apparently with his dying breath ordered the surrendered king beheaded, an order which his captains dutifully carried out.

In December 1380, Gregory VI was chosen as the new patriarch, and immediately declared in his inaugural homily that "Sanctaria must move forward as one. No more tribes. No more kings - save one. The Holy King. God's own King. The Papal King". On Christmas Day 1380, Gregory declared that all tribes and tribal customs and laws were to be disbanded, and that all individuals were now part of one Sanctaria that was united fully, in all aspects, under the rule of the Church of Sanctaria. He declared himself Sovereign of the Kingdom of Sanctaria, in addition to his title of Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria, and decreed that whomever held the latter would also be the former.

Though there were some rebellions in the last few days of 1380 and the early part of 1381, Gregory ensured the Blessed Army was on hand to crush any dissent saying in a letter to a friend "they profess to be Catholic, but they reject the authority of God. God has chosen me and has chosen this path. God alone shall judge them for their heresy, and it is my duty to ensure they meet God in judgement expeditiously". Scholars now date the Papal Kingdom of Sanctaria, as it came to be known, to Christmas Day 1380, and the declaration by Gregory VI that he was a Sovereign over one, united, catholic Sanctaria.

Development of the established Church (1380—1528)

Nation-building

Gregory VI's official declaration of the Papal Kingdom of Sanctaria in 1380, and the subsequent swift quelling of rebellions, was just the first step the Church took in the late 14th century to assert their temporal power. In 1397, Patriarch Michael II announced all citizens were to pay tithes regardless of their income "to support the governing of the Church". The income generated from these tithes, which often left struggling farmers and members of the lower-working class destitute because of their severity, predominantly went to the patriarch's own purse, with a nominal amount each year used to support the soldiers of the Blessed Army.

In 1413, to ensure the Church had eyes and control over every corner of the Kingdom, Patriarch Paul V created regional governors, called doges, who would act as governors or managers of newly created duchies; whole swathes of lands, townships, and even cities across the Kingdom divided up for easier organisation and control. These doges, all of whom were either favoured archbishops or wealthy landowners, were originally given a limited degree of authority in how to run their duchies, with many decisions needed the approval of the patriarch back in Sanctus; however as time went on, these doges were given even more authority in how to rule. Paul V's successor, Stephan V, in 1418 began to appoint nuncios, or ambassadors, to neighbouring countries and further afield, ostensibly with the motive of improving relations and trade, but, as time later proved, with the more duplicitous aim of missionary work and the encouragement of subversive faith militant groups to grow the influence of the Church in those nations too. Scholars now suggest that it was Stephan V's groundwork in this that later led to the successful, and relatively bloodless, coups in countries like Munsteran which resulted in the creation of the Papal States.

Stephan V also created what could be considered an early equivalent to the nation's treasury in 1420, called the Atria Caritatum, or Halls of Charities, which essentially took stock of the finances of the Patriarch and decided how much, if any at all, would be given to the destitute of the nation via alms or other charitable measures.

Faith-based community development

An early hospital

Despite the Church's control of the Kingdom of Sanctaria, and its presence in everyday life, priests and bishops across the nation noted a drop in attendance at daily and weekly religious services across Sanctaria, particularly in urban centres, during the 15th century. Successive patriarchs' concentration on the building of their temporal power meant their focus on the spiritual matters of the citizenry and the nation had slipped. Patriarch Francis I took steps to combat this in 1444 when he issued his decree Educationem ad Pauperem, or Education for the Poor. He mandated that all male children under the age of 12 be forced to attend catholic schooling, run by one of the Church's various mendicant orders. Though illiteracy had, by this time, become very rare in Sanctaria, as families taught each other to read rather than people learning in a strict educational setting. As men were considered the head of the family, and of society, in Sanctaria at this stage in its history, the focus was solely on male schooling. The education was to be entirely faith-based, with subjects like maths and science disposed of in favour of theology and (approved) philosophy. It was hoped, and proved to be successful, that this policy of education would encourage people to return to the Church for regular instruction through Mass.

When an outbreak of cholera in Corpus threatened to turn into a nationwide epidemic in 1479, Patriarch Simon VI directed that women in the service of the Church, i.e. nuns, train as nurses and travel throughout the affected areas, treating as much as they could. In what would become one of the first public hospitals in Sanctaria, the Hospital of St. Michael was established in 1483 in Sanctus as a permanent base for people with serious illness to travel to in the hopes of being cured. While much of the early treatments were solely faith-based, such as prayer, Sanctaria's trade with other countries in the IDU led to the import of medicines, which Patriarch Francis II in 1486 lauded as "miracles sent by the Lord himself, not to replace prayer, but to supplement it".

These early educational and medical facilities were the first indications of what would become cornerstones of how the Church grew and maintained its faithful, though patronage of schools and hospitals, a tradition that lasts to this day in modern Sanctaria.

Council of Haven (1488—1508)

Patriarchs in this era of history also concerned themselves with doctrinal matters of the Church and its faith, as well as focusing on community and temporal matters. In 1488, Francis II established the Council of Haven to meet biannually and to iron out differences in doctrine of the different theological factions of the Church who, while usually happy to co-exist peacefully, had in recent years become a distraction for the head of the Church. Francis II decreed that the resulting opinions of the Council of Haven, made up equally of different Church factions, would be the doctrine of the Church going forward, and required the leaders of all the groupings to agree to this stipulation before entering the Council. The Council, which would meet in the Archdiocese of Haven in the eastern part of Sanctaria, ended up lasting far longer than Francis II intended, outliving both Francis himself, who died in 1490, and his successor Gregory VII, who died in 1505.

Modern scholars generally accept that the biannual meetings of the Council, and their deliberations, were likely more of a headache for the patriarchs of the time than the groupings individually ever could have been, but all accept that if not for the Council's existence and task, the differences in later years would have likely ended up splitting the Church. Many theological scholars praise Francis II for his foresight in establishing the Council, and some within the Church still refer to him with the appellation of "Saviour of the Church".

The Council of Haven met until 1508 when, in the reign of Patriarch Thomas III, they issued what they said "shall be the doctrine of this, our Church, for all eternity". Their deliberations, which had focused on two central points of faith which all the groupings in attendance had hitherto had different opinions on, resulted in the following declarations being made, and sanctified, by Thomas III on 18 April 1508:

• The Church of Sanctaria "recognises the inherent holiness of individuals, but decries the belief these individuals can rise to rival or equal the beloved messengers and angels of the Lord our God", and;
• The Church of Sanctaria "acknowledges the role of the priest in the consecration of the wine and bread, but declares it heresy to assume mere mortals can achieve miracles of transubstantiation that rival Christ".

In effect the Council decided, to end decades of debate, that in the Eucharist, the wine and bread would be symbols of the blood and body of Christ, and not become them itself. They also decided that the Church would acknowledge Saints created prior to the establishment of the Church, but would designate no individual going forward as a Saint, and any individual so recognised from the establishment of the Church until the result of the Council of Haven would be stripped of their sainthood.

Contemporary letters of the time suggest the declaration had little effect on the faith of ordinary citizens, who didn't understand the finer points of theology or doctrine anyway, but the theologians who had argued for years on either side of the debate all accepted the Patriarch's declaration; that the Council also declared that "statements of faith made by the Archbishop of Sanctus shall be infallible and inviolable, save by a later Archbishop of the same See" probably contributed to the swift end of the matter, despite almost a century of arguments.

International missionary efforts

The Church's increasing forays in globalisation and international relations heightened its influence in the IDU, and the number of nuncios and missionary outposts increased dramatically. Successive patriarchs were quick to understand that the larger the presence that the Church had in other nations or regions, the more that people there would be exposed to its teachings, increasing its spiritual reach. An increased spiritual reach resulted in greater numbers of donations from abroad, as well as the pilgrimage of many new members of the Church, bringing with them new cultures, experiences, and riches.

Pre-Catholic Atlantaena worship grounds

Simultaneously, the Church began to leverage this growing adherence to its teachings by citizens of other countries to its benefit in temporal and political matters. In August 1436, a group of Catholic-adherents in the nation of Mount Solace successfully lobbied the Royal Court there to acknowledge the Church of Sanctaria as a protected religion; a Church of Sanctaria priest, Monsignor Frederick Callary, was later appointed Chancellor of the Royal Court of Mount Solace, the most important civilian role, in December 1488. Callery, a close confident and puppet of the then-Patriarch Francis II, implemented a lot of policies favourable to the Kingdom of Sanctaria while he was in office, including designating the theocratic Kingdom a preferred trading partner in many mineral goods, which eastern Sanctaria was rich in.

However the direct involvement of the Church wasn't always necessary for the exponential growth of the religion. In Atlantaena, a nation which for thousands of years followed an aquatic-based belief system with a pantheon of gods, the Church of Sanctaria's sole missionary there - a bishop by the name of Alfonsus - conveyed a spiritual message that was apparently so convincing that within ten years, sixty percent of the Atlantaen population had converted; by March 1511 the entire nation of Atlantaena adhered to the Church of Sanctaria as a religion. On 14 August 1515, Atlantaena declared the Church of Sanctaria its official religion.

The Church of Sanctaria's missionary work also extended beyond the confines of the IDU; nations in other regions saw an increase in adherents to the Sanctarian Catholic Church, most notably nations such as Galway and Athlone and Buckingham.

A natural part of the growth of the Church's spiritual flock was the execution of its guiding principles, such as "the Patriarch was the voice of God on Earth and was in practice the King of Kings on God's behalf". This culminated in 1528 when, on 05 May, the Grand Duke of Atlantaena declared that, in accordance with the teachings of the Sanctarian Catholic Church, he and his successors would forever be subservient to the Patriarch of the Kingdom of Sanctaria. Thomas IV seized on the declaration by the Atlantaen Sovereign to declare that the nation of Atlantaena would now be considered a part of the "greater Sanctarian nation and, now, empire".

On 11 May 1528, Thomas IV declared the formation of the Papal States of Sanctaria, a new global federal monarchical state, with Sanctaria the jewel in the Crown. By the end of 1528, Mount Solace and Galway and Athlone had also joined the new Papal States of Sanctaria. By the end of the century, the number of nations who had joined the Papal States would number fourteen.

Height of the Church (1580—1865)

Temporal sovereignty

Procedures for acceding to the Papal States of Sanctaria were established by Patriarch Aequitas II in 1538. Chief among them was that the nation in question must profess the Sanctarian Catholic faith as the "one and only true faith" of its jurisdiction, and secondly that the nation's leaders must submit to the rule of the Patriarch, both temporally and spiritually. In most cases, such as that of Buckingham, nations that voluntarily joined the Papal States did so for financial and security reasons. Buckingham was a highly agrarian society and had recently been severely affected by a great famine of their corn corp, a crop most of their most indigent population relied on for basic sustenance. Though it was true most of the population had become devout Catholics thanks to the missionaries of the Church of Sanctaria in previous decades, it was only when Patriarch Simon VII promised the nation in 1544 that he would ensure food and medicine reached the devastated communities that the nation applied to join the growing theocratic empire.

The Massacre at Clan Nich - artist unknown

Right by conquest, however, was the most common way that the Papal States incorporated new lands and nations as colonies or constituent states. The Blessed Army, which by 1580 had grown to be a standing army of over 100,000 men-at-arms, as well as a growing number of battleships, very often went unmatched in clashes with native farmsmen or sellswords in the invaded lands. While scholars have documented countless numbers of atrocities, and what would now be considered war crimes, committed by the Blessed Army in many of its conquests, it was the invasion of Clan Nich in 1609 that counts as the most bloody. Clan Nich, a small island community located in a different region than the IDU lay in the middle of a favoured trade route of the Papal States - and lay on top of rich salt mines too; salt, a rare commodity in the Papal States at this point, was used to preserve foods. The inhabitants of Clan Nich were primarily fisherman and were not adherents in any way to the Church of Sanctaria. After they refused to allow the Papal States to access their resources, Patriarch Paul VII ordered the papal army to take what they needed by force. The inhabitants of the island of Clan Nich were unable to put up any significant fight and, of the roughly 50,000 male inhabitants of the island, only 4000 were reported to have survived. It was also documented that many soldiers within the Blessed Army raped and imprisoned many women from the island, with priests travelling with the army permitting it as a form of "forced conversion". Soon after the Massacre at Clan Nich, as it has become known amongst modern-day inhabitants of the island - and the name by which the Divine Republic of Sanctaria in 1993 apologised on behalf of its previous iteration - Paul VII appointed a governor, or doge, as his representative on the island, and Clan Nich was formally entered into the Papal States on 01 October 1610.

Adherence to the Church of Sanctaria, however, wasn't always the red line issue some patriarchs had made it out to be. One notable nation that was a part of the Papal States but was permitted to retain its native religion was Holy Thebes. While they were required to accept the Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria to be their sovereign, the then-Patriarch Stephan VI allowed them to continue practicing their animalistic religion. The Thebans harvested leaves from local plants and brewed them into a form of hot drink, like a tea, but the plants they picked from very often had hallucinogenic properties. This tea proved very popular with the upper classes, not only in Sanctaria and the Papal States, but around the International Democratic Union too. The wealthy elite back in mainland Sanctaria lobbied the papal office hard to allow the Thebans to continue producing and harvesting these leaves, which they only were able to do after working themselves up into a frenzy as part of their religious ceremonies. Stephan VI, and his successors, all allowed the native Thebans to continue worshiping their native religion, well after Holy Thebes joined the Papal States in 1598; modern religious scholars use this as a primary example of where the Church's dedication to religion was allowed to come second to its profits and standing amongst the elite.

At its absolute height in 1800, the Papal States had, either through right of conquest, voluntary accession, or accession via duress, thirty eight nations constituting its theocratic empire, not including the original, and mother country, Sanctaria itself.

Clashes with science

Though the Church had routinely put profits or warfare over its basic teachings, it also often used its doctrine and teachings as a reason to censor the growing scientific community across the Papal States. The Church believed that any questions which could not be answered by religious texts were meant to be unanswered as, it taught, "God has decided it is best we not understand". They instructed their faithful, in both religious services and through the education it provided in schools, to not question what they did not understand, and to "leave everything to faith in God". Mutual trade with other nations, however, as well as increased migration, particularly of those from nations not in the Papal States and who had more advanced knowledge of science and mathematics, made the task of not questioning the Church on routine matters much more difficult. In fact, the Church forbade the teaching of anything more scientific than basic maths and "domestic science", as they called botany and cooking, until 1675.

The Church of Sanctaria routinely burned heretics at the stake between 1300 and 1700.

Many of those who questioned the Church's position on science and maths in this period left the Papal States to further their education in these areas, later returning and attempting to covertly teach those curious about how and why the world worked as it did. Most controversially was the Baker Affair in which prominent philosopher Marcus Baker told a crowd of gathered students at the Haven Theological Society in 1670 that when one picked up a twig and let it go, it dropped to the ground because of an invisible force, which he called gravity. Religious extremists present at the demonstration were, contemporary reports say, outraged at the heresy displayed by Baker, as in truth, they claimed, the twig fell back to earth because "God did not will it to have wings". Baker was reported to the local doge, and was sentenced to death by burning, which was the standard punishment for what the Church considered heresy at the time.

The Baker Affair drove many free-thinking academics and emerging scientists underground where they produced encyclicals, or pamphlets, on everything from mathematics to human anatomy, much of which challenged the Church's teachings on many matters, and some of which claimed there were natural reasons for something occurring rather than it being by God's design. The Church attempted to find and destroy these pamphlets, and to capture those who wrote them, to limited success. Between the years 1670 and 1701, over fifty scientists were captured by the Church and executed without trial.

The actions of the Church in how they dealt with the scientists and philosophers began to anger many, not just in the educated upper class circles that had significant influence on the patriarchy, but also the less-educated but still literate and intelligent middle classes. After a series of riots by these groups in 1706, Patriarch Thomas VI declared that "science and religion are brothers, not enemies. They must find common ground". Though the ban on teaching more scientific subjects like accounting and anatomy had been lifted in 1675, Thomas VI allowed all new scientific areas like physics, chemistry, and biology to be taught in universities, and allowed scientists to publish their theories and findings openly. At a sermon at Easter 1708, Thomas VI said said "all these things scientific happen because God allows them to. God may not make the feather fall from the bird, but He allows it to. God created science, science is nothing to fear".

Relations between the Church and representatives of various fields of science, most particularly astronomy and physics, were strained for many years until July 1808 when Patriarch Mark V appointed the first official scientific advisor to the patriarchy.

Spiritual development

Despite the rise of science and scientific thinking across the Papal States during this period, attendance at Mass and other religious services peaked at all time highs. In nearly all states of the Papal States, it was mandatory to be raised in, and to practice, the Sanctarian Catholic faith. As started in 1444, educational facilities were established across the empire, all ran by either the Church itself or by one of its religious orders or institutes. Third level education, or universities, were primarily for theology or as training centers to join the priesthood. Though some private universities were established, like the Sanctus Academy of Science in 1742, primarily the Church's focus on educational instruction was to grow the faith of its followers.

In 1698, Patriarch Paul VIII required girls to attend religious education up until the age of 11. In the same year, he repeated the canonical instruction that the Sabbath day - for Sanctarian Catholics, Sunday - was to be "kept holy", i.e. that domestic work was not to be done. This enabled women and girls across the Papal States to attend religious services, whereas previously they often did housework or tended to the farm while the men and male children attended church on Sundays. In 1704, Thomas VI shortly after his election as Patriarch, required families with more than one male child to "entrust [the] youngest son to the Church" in exchange for reduced annual tithes. This, after a generation or so, vastly increased the ranks of priests within the Church of Sanctaria, while alleviating immediately the expenditure of impoverished families. Some critics suggest this form of bribery by the Church only artificially inflated actual devout believers, but Church historians argue that it allowed many peasant adherents of the Church to recognise the inherent beneficiality of the Church, with full belief to naturally develop after.

Religious minorities continued to be persecuted in Sanctaria in this period, also. Those who didn't attend weekly services were often admonished from the pulpit by local parish priests, and on more than one occasion priests and bishops encouraged brutal religious discrimination against immigrants with different belief systems. Devout Catholics were told their souls would be automatically entered into heaven should they be able to convert at least one "heathen" a year to the Church of Sanctaria faith, while, simultaneously, individuals were banished from their families and their communities should they marry someone who didn't attend Church of Sanctaria services, or if they married outside the faith. This shunning of family members was officially encouraged by the Sanctarian Catholic Church right up until 1958.

Modern Church (1865—present)

Decline

Although Galway and Athlone became the first nation to successfully leave the Papal States of Sanctaria in 1818, albeit with permission, true temporal decline didn't occur until early in the 20th century when Mount Solace declared its independence in 1901. Although scholars remain divided on the true catalyst of this secession, which in turn began a domino effect of nations leaving the Papal States, most seem to agree that successive patriarchs in the 19th century were too preoccupied with responding to incidents of violence and rebellion in Sanctaria to give proper attention or focus on events happening elsewhere in the Papal States.

Contemporary artists impression of the Sanctus Dock Riots of 1871

Mass-published books and newspapers were commonplace at the end of the 18th century, and by the 1820s and 1830s, working and middle-class Sanctarians began to openly question their rates of tithes, how they were spent, and why they had no say in the governance of their nation. Two significant events - the Sanctus Dock Riots of 1871, and the Arson of Nicene in 1878 - led Patriarch Paul XIII to mandate that each doge establish a sort of people's assembly in each of their jurisdictions, and to allow elections of lay (i.e. not clergy) citizens to those assemblies in order to advise on issues of governance. These assemblies were not successful, with many doges refusing to establish them or, where they were established, ballots were fraudulent, with citizens devout to the Church or personally loyal to the doge elected. The failures of these assemblies led to further disillusionment, not just with the Church, but with the power and influence of the successive patriarchs. Attendance at religious services were noticeably down, and reports of non-payments of tithes had increased. After Mark VI ordered the Blessed Army to Templar to recover tithes that went unpaid by the city denizens, Sanctarians in other cities began to cause daily disturbances that eventually lead to outright riots. Mark VI was forced by the Synod of Bishops to resign on 31 January 1888, the first patriarch in 200 years to resign, and the first ever to resign against his wishes, in order to satisfy the growing numbers of protesters outside the Episcopal Palace in Sanctus.

A successor, Patriarch Christopher V, was also forced to resign in 1909 by torch-bearing crowds threatening to burn down his residence after he demanded tithes be increased, with still no representation for the people, in order to alleviate costs that seceding nations were having on the economy of the Papal States.

The removal of the Church of Sanctaria as the sole mandatory religion in the Papal States in 1890 by Patriarch Paul XIV also contributed to a rapid decline of the Church. Individuals that subscribed to minority religions, or had no religion at all, were free to hold "jobs of esteem", i.e. doctors, lawyers, or accountants, without retribution from the state, and alternatives to the state-run primary and secondary educational facilities were also established, leading to, for the first time in the history of Sanctaria, generations of children growing up without strict religious education. Also lifted by Paul XIV was the requirement for large families to send one of their sons to the priesthood, resulting in reduced numbers of ordained ministers and instances of parishes that did not have any priests.

As further states seceded from the Papal States in the early 20th century, the Sanctarian economy contracted quite significantly. Though it was true that many of the nations in the Papal States spent more money than they contributed, the loss of key mineral rich nations, such as Mildeaston with its mountains of gold mines, or Nouveau Casterly with its seas of saffron, opium, and other valuable flowers and spices, meant that fewer nations did trade with Sanctaria, resulting in mass job losses, particularly in the sea-faring and manufacturing industries. Successive patriarchs had focused on the import of goods from other nations within the Papal States, and had neglected many of the country's own native industries. It would take almost 80 years before investment in native industries brought Sanctaria's economy back to its preeminent and dominant place in the International Democratic Union.

Patriarch Aequitas IV lying in state after his death

Significant public pressure, and the publishing of an opinion poll by the Sanctarian National Times in May of 1934 detailing how over 50% of the surveyed population would like to get rid of the Church, led then-Patriarch Paul XX to establish a national, permanent assembly for lay citizens - the Congregation of the Public. Though the measures passed by this assembly remained advisory only, they did influence policy to the extent that patriarchal popularity recovered slightly. Tithes were, for the first time, in 1951 levied proportionally by income, meaning the richer upper class members of society paid more than those in the working or destitute classes.

By 1973, only four states remained in the Papal States of Sanctaria - Munsteran, Buckingham, Atlantaena, and Sanctaria proper. The Sanctarian economy had recovered, but more and more Sanctarians were demanding democratic government, mirroring the situation that existed in countries across the IDU, where Sanctaria was quickly becoming an outlier in terms of the democratic freedoms it permitted its citizens to have. In October 1973, Patriarch Aequitas IV announced that he had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer, and that though doctors had estimated he had up to eighteen months left to live, he would begin a process whereby on his death the Papal States would be dissolved. Under his plan, the remaining states of the Papal States would become independent immediately on his passing, and he ordered new constitutions created for each of them. In Sanctaria, elections were held in 1974 for a parliament that would be created, and for offices they would assume, when the patriarch died. Patriarch Aequitas IV died on 19 November 1974 and the Divine Republic of Sanctaria was born. For the first time in 900 years, the Church of Sanctaria held no temporal power.

Patriarchs of the Church of Sanctaria post-dissolution of the Papal States have focused on spiritual matters and regrowing a dwindling membership of their Church. A 2018 census conducted by the Church itself reported that the Church of Sanctaria has 228 million baptised members, down from a high of over 1.8 billion members in 1835. Critics say that the Church's reluctance to change rules such as celibacy for priests, as well as their social conservatism which is increasingly seen as out-of-step with the rest of Sanctarian society, is hindering any progress it would otherwise have in managing its decline.

Theological challenges

The Church of Sanctaria's basic teachings such as goodwill towards neighbours, and charity to those less well off, as well as its core tenets as agreed back in the Council of Haven in 1508 are not, according to sociologists and theological scholars, factors of what many consider to be its growing irrelevance in Sanctarian public life. Most critics point to what are considered "antiquated" social teachings and doctrine as serious theological challenges that will impact the Church's future.

Same-sex marriage was legalised in Sanctaria in 2005.

One of the primary issues often raised by opponents of the Church, and some of its internal critics, is the Church's perceived misogyny, whereby women are unable to hold any ordained office, including the lowest-tier of the hierarchy as a priest. While many women are enrolled in religious orders, and join abbies or convents, only men are permitted to take sacred sacraments and holy orders to minister to others. A result of this also means that only men are eligible to become head of the Church as Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria. Successive governments of Sanctaria have also criticised the Church's stance on this, particularly as the Church is registered as a charity, compelling it to follow all secular laws of the Sanctaria, including equality and anti-discrimination laws. The Church's charity status, which means it does not have to pay tax, may change as a result of its non-compliance, according to reports by the current Sanctarian government. The Church so far remains reluctant to admit women to the priesthood.

On social issues, the Church's opposition to popular policies such as same-sex marriage, as well as their opposition to abortion, are also claimed as reasons why they are considered out of step and declining in Sanctaria. Patriarchs as recently as 2018 have called gay men "sodomites", inflaming tensions with the LGBT community, and reducing trust in the institution. Similarly, the Church's endorsement of priests and bishops speaking out against government policy, and actively endorsing political candidates who would outlaw practices that run contrary to their dogma, such as abortion, has also damaged public opinion, according to opinion polls. Access to abortion, though it remains controversial, is supported by 62% of Sanctarians, and by 73% of Sanctarian women.

Future-proofing

In an effort to combat dwindling numbers of priests leaving Church of Sanctaria seminaries, Patriarch Simon XVI announced in 2008 that any previously married men whose wives had passed, but who were "devout Sanctarian Catholics and wished to serve the faith" were permitted to become priests. It still remains a rule that priests in the Church of Sanctaria must remain unmarried and celibate, though current Patriarch Luke VI has said he is open to waiving this rule in situations where "priests are desperately needed to get God's word out to the public". Opposition to the celibacy rule, though, has increased in a number of years, with many members of the Synod of Bishops, potential future patriarchs, saying they would scrap the rule.

The Church has also began to use social media to preach to young people and people of different faiths, and are also using these platforms for recruitment of men and women into both the priesthood and other religious orders. In 2019, Luke VI announced that the Church would pay a living wage to all priests, as well as increase benefit-in-kind contributions such as housing, transport, and gym or leisure membership.

Youth ministries have also formed a part of its outreach in recent years, where some priests retrain as youth or social workers and work in their communities with at-risk children, while still providing the typical pastoral care that may be expected from priests.

Doctrine

Church of Sanctaria doctrine has developed over the centuries, reflecting direct teachings of early Christians, formal definitions of heretical and orthodox beliefs by ecumenical councils and in patriarchal decrees, and theological debate by scholars. It believes that it is continually guided by the Holy Spirit as it discerns new theological issues and is protected infallibly from falling into doctrinal error when a firm decision on an issue is reached.

It teaches that revelation has one common source, God, and two distinct modes of transmission: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Sacred Scripture consists of the 73 books of the Catholic Bible, consisting of 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament writings. Sacred Tradition consists of those teachings believed by the church to have been handed down since the time of the Apostles. These are interpreted by the Church, exercised by the Patriarch and the Synod of Bishops. There are some core tenets of Church of Sanctaria dogma that remain primary over all others.

The Trinity

The Church of Sanctaria holds that there is one eternal God, who consists of three persons: God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit, which together are called the "Holy Trinity".

Depiction of the Holy Trinity

Sanctarian Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the "Second Person" of the Trinity, God the Son. In an event known as the Incarnation, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God became united with human nature through the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Christ, therefore, is understood as being both fully divine and fully human, including possessing a human soul. It is taught that Christ's mission on earth included giving people his teachings and providing his example for them to follow as recorded in the four Gospels. Jesus is believed to have remained sinless while on earth, and to have allowed himself to be unjustly executed by crucifixion, as a sacrifice of himself to reconcile humanity to God; this reconciliation is known as the Paschal Mystery.

The Church of Sanctaria teaches dogmatically that "the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son, not as from two principles but as from one single principle". It holds that the Father, as the "principle without principle", is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that he, as Father of the only Son, is with the Son the single principle from which the Spirit proceeds.

One True Church

The Sanctarian Catholic Church teaches that it is the "one true church", "the universal sacrament of salvation for the human race", and "the one true religion". It is further described as the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church". The church teaches it was founded by Jesus Christ and that, by continuing the mission the Roman Church tasked Julius with, it "is the continuing presence of Jesus on earth" and that it alone possesses the full means of salvation. Through the passion (suffering) of Christ leading to his crucifixion as described in the Gospels, it is said Christ made himself an oblation to God the Father in order to reconcile humanity to God; the Resurrection of Jesus makes him the firstborn from the dead, the first among many brethren. By reconciling with God and following Christ's words and deeds, an individual can enter the Kingdom of God. The church sees its liturgy and sacraments as perpetuating the graces achieved through Christ's sacrifice to strengthen a person's relationship with Christ and aid in overcoming sin.

Final judgement

The Church teaches that, immediately after death, the soul of each person will receive a particular judgement from God, based on their sins and their relationship to Christ. This teaching also attests to another day when Christ will sit in universal judgement of all mankind. This final judgement, according to the church's teaching, will bring an end to human history and mark the beginning of both a new and better heaven and earth ruled by God in righteousness.

Depending on the judgement rendered following death, it is believed that a soul may enter one of three states of the afterlife:

• Heaven is a state of unending union with the divine nature of God, not ontologically, but by grace. It is an eternal life, in which the soul contemplates God in ceaseless beatitude.
• Purgatory is a temporary condition for the purification of souls who, although destined for Heaven, are not fully detached from sin and thus cannot enter Heaven immediately. In Purgatory, the soul suffers, and is purged and perfected. Souls in purgatory may be aided in reaching heaven by the prayers of the faithful on earth and by the intercession of saints.
• Final Damnation: Finally, those who persist in living in a state of mortal sin and do not repent before death subject themselves to hell, an everlasting separation from God. The church teaches that no one is condemned to hell without having freely decided to reject God. No one is predestined to hell and no one can determine with absolute certainty who has been condemned to hell. Catholicism teaches that through God's mercy a person can repent at any point before death, be illuminated with the truth of the Catholic faith, and thus obtain salvation. Some Catholic theologians have speculated that the souls of unbaptised infants and non-Christians without mortal sin but who die in original sin are assigned to limbo, although this is not an official dogma of the church.

Membership

Sanctarian Catholicism is the largest religion in Sanctaria, and one of the largest religious organisations in the International Democratic Union. Church membership, defined as baptised Sanctarian Catholics, was 228 million at the end of 2018, with 187 million of those in Sanctaria. Sanctaria has the largest Church of Sanctaria population in the world, followed by Libertas Omnium Maximus, Laeral, and Lauchenoiria.

Church of Sanctaria ministers include ordained clergy, lay ecclesial ministers, and missionaries. There are also Sanctarian Catholics who have committed to religious or consecrated life instead of marriage or single celibacy, as a state of life or relational vocation. These are not ordained, nor generally considered ministers.

Organisation

The Church of Sanctaria follows an episcopal polity, led by bishops who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within the church. There are two levels of clergy: the episcopate, composed of bishops who hold jurisdiction over a geographic area called a diocese or eparchy; and the presbyterate, composed of priests ordained by bishops and who work in local dioceses or religious orders. Leading the entire Church of Sanctaria is the Archbishop of Sanctus, commonly called the patriarch. In parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the patriarch, though sometimes subject to a local bishop. Most religious institutes only have male or female members but some have both. Additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship services.

Patriarchy and the Synod of Bishops

The hierarchy of the Church of Sanctaria is headed by the Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria, who is the leader of the worldwide Sanctarian Catholic Church. The current patriarch, Patrick X, was elected on 22 February 2025 by the Synod of Bishops. The office of the patriarch is known as the patriarchy or the papacy.

A meeting of the Synod of Bishops

For advice and assistance in governing the Church, the patriarch may turn to the Synod of Bishops. The Synod is the body of all bishops within the Church. A bishop is an ordained priest who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Sanctarian Catholics in his jurisdiction, and representing the Church. He is the leader of all priests within his diocese - an ecclesiastic district often defined by geographic borders, be they cities, towns, or larger divisions.

Following the death or resignation of a patriarch, members of the Synod of Bishops act as an electoral college, meeting in a conclave to elect a successor. Although the conclave may elect any priest of the Church of Sanctaria as patriarch, since the institution of the Synod in 1057, only bishops of the Synod have been elected.

Structure

The Church of Sanctaria is structured as follows (from the lowest level upwards):

• Parish is the most local level, often consisting of one church building (a parish church) and community, although many parishes are joining forces in a variety of ways for financial reasons. The parish is looked after by a parish priest. On occasion, there may be more than one priest assigned to a parish to care for the community. In such cases, the most senior priest-in-charge is called the parish priest, with all other priests tasked with assisting him called curates. The running of the parish is the joint responsibility of the incumbent and the parish council, which consists of the parish clergy and elected representatives from the congregation.
• Diocese, e.g., Diocese of Cristi, Diocese of Saint-Owen, Diocese of Nicene. This is the area under the jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop, e.g., the bishops of Cristi, Saint-Owen, and Nicene, and will have a cathedral. The bishops work with an elected body of lay and ordained representatives, known as the Diocesan Synod, to run the diocese. A diocese is subdivided into a number of parishes. Bishops are required to appoint one of the parish priests within their diocese as a Vicar-General, who assists the bishop in the governance of the diocese.
• Archdiocese, e.g., Archdiocese of Julian, Archdiocese of Pontifex. Sometimes, very large dioceses are converted into archdioceses. Archdioceses are ran by an archbishop, who might have one or more auxiliary bishops within the diocese to assist him in his ministry; these archbishops are not metropolitan archbishops. The archdiocese of Julian is one such area and mini-dioceses within the archdiocese were established, with full bishops governing them and assisting the archbishop as auxiliary bishop. In this instance, the Diocese of Pilz was established with the Archdiocese of Julian, governed by the Bishop of Pilz who in turns reports to the Archbishop of Julian.
• Province, e.g., Province of Haven, Province of Iuvus, Province of Sanctus. This is the area under the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop, i.e. the Archbishops of Haven, Iuvus, and Sanctus. A province is composed of several dioceses, or may contain a number of archdioceses (see above). The metropolitan archbishop has oversight authority over the dioceses or archdioceses, called suffragan dioceses, in their province, including ensuring that the faith and ecclesiastical discipline are properly observed. These metropolitan archbishops are also involved in the selection of bishops or archbishops in their province. Every five years, they compile a list of priests who may be suitable for the office of bishop. This is forwarded to the Synod of Bishops, who conduct a final evaluation of candidates and offer their findings to the Patriarch for his final decision of appointment.