Catholic Church in Sainte-Chloé

Catholic Church in Sainte-Chloé
The Basilica of Sainte-Chloé, one of the largest enclosed church buildings in the Asterias
Type	Ecclesiastical polity
Classification	Catholic
Orientation	Sotirianity
Pope	Pope Joseph
Primate	Louis Cardinal Merloix
Papal Nuncio	Giovanni Giuseppe
Region	Sainte-Chloé
Language	Solarian, Gaullican
Members	9,997,136 (2018)
Bishops	12
Church buildings	2,421
Tertiary institutions	18

The Catholic Church in Sainte-Chloé represents the clergy and believers of the Solarian Catholic Church in the country of Sainte-Chloé, and is in full communion with the Pope in Solaria. Catholicism is the dominant religion in the country, with almost 10 million followers, almost 93% of the population. Due to its size and power, he Catholic Church is one of the most prominent institutions in the country, and is very active in the political life of Sainte-Chloé. Since 1954, it has been recognised as the the official religion of the country, although the country also permits freedom of religion.

Roderican missionaries accompanied the first expeditions to settle the island, which marked the beginning of the Church's influence on the island. A stable Church was constructed by 1509, and the first Cathedral built in the Americas, Notre Dame Étoile de la Mer, was finished in 1539. Port de la Sainte, as the first permanent large Euclean settlement in the Asterias, was also the seat of the first Solarian Catholic Bishop in the Asterias. The see was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, which made it the first Archiepiscopal see in the New World. Port de la Sainte served as a major religious hub during the early colonial period, serving as a station for many missionaries who would go on to preach in other countries. The Roderican Order also established the University of Sainte-Chloé, the oldest university in the Asterias, and later would make efforts to evangelize the Slaves that were brought over from Bahia, especially by such Saints such as Saint Eugene de la Croix. Charles Saint-Pierre, worked together with Archbishop Jean-Baptiste d'Aste and the Church to establish institutions of education across Sainte-Chloé as a part of the Holistique movement, which were funded and staffed largely by ecclesial figures, in particular, the Roderican Order. The newfound universal education found widespread success, and helped to solidify the Church's position in dominating the educational scene. The Church's influence would lead to a political struggle in the mid twentieth century between secularists and those who wanted the Church in education; the pro-ecclesial Catholic Labour Party solidified the Church's position through the 1954 Constitution. The Church has also had historic conflicts with Vrefason, a syncretic religion which is regularly criticised for being heretical.

The Catholic Church is the largest and wealthiest institutions in the country, and is the country's largest landowner by a significant margin. It is the primary educational institution in the country, operating 18 out of the country's 26 universities, dozens of seminaries and other houses of tertiary formation, as well as 85% of Sainte-Chloé's primary and secondary schools. In addition, the country's Bishops are guaranteed seats on the country's upper house, the Deuxième Chambre, and the Church has historically cooperated extensively with the dominant PCT. Because of its prominence, issues of secularisation are still contentious, especially in the representation of bishops and the domination of education, with members the Social Democrats being advocates for secularisation. However, attempts to amend the constitution have failed.

Within the Catholic Church, the primary structure are there exist a variety of religious orders institutions in addition to the main Diocesan structure. The Roderican Order is the country's most prominent religious order, owning more educational institutions as well as a great deal of schools, parishes and older mission churches, and have served frequently as Bishops. The Rodericans in Sainte-Chloé are known for celebrating the older Roderican Rite unique to the order, the influence of which has helped to establish Sainte-Chloé as a prominent point of Traditionalist Catholicism.

Organisation

Louis Cardinal Merloix, Cardinal and Archbishop of Port de la Sainte, Primate of the Arucian.

The Church in Sainte-Chloé is headed by the spiritual leader of the nation, the Archbishop of Port de la Sainte, currently Louis Cardinal Merloix. The Archbishop ex officio also possesses the honorary title of Primate of the Arucian due to its historic position, as Port de la Sainte is the oldest diocese and archdiocese in the Asterias. He serves as the Primate of the Chloéois Church, taking a place of precedence as well as real power and influence. The Archbishop serves alongside 11 other Bishops, each of whom are in charge of their own dioceses. The dioceses are divided into Ecclesiastical Provinces headed by an Archbishop, with the metropolitan Archbishops taking precedence over the regular Bishops. Bishops exercise significant control over their dioceses, and also hold an important sacramental and teaching role over the Church. In addition, there exist several auxiliary bishops in larger dioceses, who assist the metropolitans in their ministry.

• Archdiocese of Port de la Sainte (current Archbishop: Louis Cardinal Merloix)
  • Diocese of Citadelle (current Bishop: Charles Weygrand)
  • Diocese of Volonté (current Bishop: Victor Thomas)
  • Diocese of Escalade (current Bishop: Roderic Saint-Denis)
  • Diocese of Esternay (current Bishop: Yves Santine)
  • Diocese of Épernon (current Bishop: Denis Pape)
• Archdiocese of Tranquille (current Archbishop: Raymond Leclerq)
  • Diocese of Canicule (current Bishop: Louis Remont)
  • Diocese of Decouverte (current Bishop: Jean-Claude Lejeune)
  • Diocese of Éclair (current Bishop: Camille Rivière)
• Archdiocese of Sainte Geneviève (current Archbishop: Pierre Penefort)
  • Diocese of Clermont (current Bishop: Lionel Hackett)

Together, the Bishops sometimes meet in a body known as an episcopal conference, although the conference remains informal, giving the Bishops significant degree of autonomy. However, the practice for Chloéois Bishops in the conference has been to grant power to the Primate, a practice largely opposing the trend of increasing collegiality in other countries. The conference more acts as a common movement of the Bishops to act in a political capacity regarding certain issues. Since each of the Bishops has a seat in the Deuxième Chambre, the political power they wield can be enough to check certain issues.

History

TBD.