Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church | |
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Faction Profile | |
Time period: | c. 30 - Present |
Classification: | Religious Order |
Capital world: | Terra |
Ruler title: | Pope |
The Roman Catholic Church, sometimes referred to as Old Roman Catholic[1], was a religious sect of Christianity established well before mankind took to the stars. In 2770, during the chaos of the Amaris Coup, the Federated Suns branch of Catholicism mistakenly read a papal communication as an order to create the New Avalon Catholic Church. After the miscommunication was discovered in 2779, the Churches remained apart and hostilities continued on.[2][3]
Also during the Amaris Coup the Swiss Guard successfully smuggled the majority of the Vatican Library, Archives, and Museum off planet. These treasures and the Swiss Guard descendants would eventually settle on St. Andreas as the Society of St. Andreas[4]
The titular head of the Church is the Pope, with priests ministering to the laity. As of 3058, Catholic clergy still take vows of celibacy.[5]
In the mid-23rd century, the Church endured a Papal schism when a second Pope ruled for a time from the archiepiscopal palace on Hesperus II.[6]
In 3073, novelist Clyde Cutler released a book titled Dark Periphery, in which he ties the events of the John Paul II Square Massacre to a missing construction crew from Sandro Manufacturing, and finally to the Brotherhood. His novel suggests that the Brotherhood is charged with protecting the Vatican's historical valuables smuggled off Terra in 2768, basing this conjecture on their missions of (non-profit) mercy.[7]