Tiberian Church
 Tiberian Church | |
|---|---|
| Ecclesia Tiberia | |
| Classification | Tiberian |
| Scripture | Tiberian Bible |
| Theology | Tiberian Theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Great Vicar | Great Vicar Xavier IV |
| Government | High Church |
| Administration | Council of Cardinals |
| Distinct fellowships | High Church and 47 Vassal Churchs, 19 Ecumenical Churches, and 11 Boundary Churches |
| Dioceses | Archdioceses: 959 Dioceses 3,456 |
| Parishes | 308,432 |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Language | Ecclesiastical Tiberian |
| Origin | 1st Century Tiberian Empire |
| Members | 1.954 billion |
| Clergy | |
Name
History
Organization
Great Vicar and the Council of Cardinals
Organized as an episcopal polity, the Tiberian Church is led by ordained clergy holding ranks such as Bishop, Cardinal, and above all, Great Vicar. Different types of churches within the Tiberian Church may have varying structures owing to tradition or autonomy.
At the top of the church is the Great Vicar, a clergyman who's a member of the Council of Cardinals and direct leader of the overall Tiberian Church, High Church, and all Ecumenical Churches. Upon the death of a previous Great Vicar, the Cardinals will vote on one of their own to be the next Great Vicar. Cardinals themselves are the heads of their own individual churches typically, though some may be lower-ranked clergymen appointed as functionaries by the Great Vicar; appointed Cardinals will keep their title for life or until stripped of it by a Great Vicar.\
High Church, Ecumenical, Vassal, and Boundary Churches
Within the Tiberian Church there are three specific types of church- Ecumenical Churches, Vassal Churches, and Boundary Churches, in order of how autonomous they are within the Tiberian faith.
Ecumenical Churches, the least autonomous of the churches, are directly administered by the High Church and as such have little to no differences between themselves and the High Church in [!THE VATICAN]. These churches are typically smaller and either inhabit a very small country, or states that used to have Vassal Churches but not longer do. The Ecumenical Churches do not have a Cardinal, though a couple retain purely ceremonial Cardinal positions assigned to a ranking Archbishop.
Slightly more autonomous are the Vassal Churches, which are also the most numerous and populous of the churches. Vassal Churches are apolitical, national churches each headed by an Archbishop Cardinal, or Archiepiscopus Cardinalis. The Cardinal will swear fealty to the authority of the High Church; this authority is technically limited to matters of theology and structure, though in practice it generally is a very top-down structure. Some Vassal Churches will have slightly differing terminology, such as Diocese vs. Bishopric.
Most autonomous are Boundary Churches- a form of church led not by an Archbishop Cardinal, but by a Catholicoi Cardinal. Boundary Churches are subservient to the High Church on theological matters, but in terms of organization, traditions, major rites, liturgical language, Cardinal nomination and more, they may vary highly and also happen to be the most rare of the church types.