Catholic Church in Sainte-Chloé

Catholic Church in Sainte-Chloé
(Clockwise from top) Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame Étoile de la Mer; the island patron's saint, Saint Chloé; Cathedral Basilica Coeur Immaculé in Tranquille; Basilica of Saint Chloé
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	13
Church buildings	3,021
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, which is coupled with a historic indult permitting all clergy to celebrate the Usus Antiquor of the Petrine Rite. In addition to the Rodericans, the Franciscans, Jesuits, Benedictines, Servites, Norbertines, and the Canons regular, as well as other religious orders, have established communities.

Organisation

See also: Arucian Episcopal Conference

Map of the ecclesial divisions in Sainte-Chloé, with each ecclesiastical province being represented by a different colour group.

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 12 other Bishops, each of whom are in charge of their own dioceses. The dioceses are grouped into four Ecclesiastical Provinces, each headed by an Metropolitan Archbishop, with the metropolitan Archbishops taking precedence over the suffragan bishop in their province. Bishops exercise significant control over their dioceses, and also hold an important sacramental and teaching role over the Church. The most recently created Diocese was the Diocese of Subercaseaux, created in 1945 when the United Provinces was created. In addition to the Bishops, there are also two territorial abbots or abbots nullii who act as ordinary and have oversight over Ecclesiastical territory. These territories are also grouped into the Ecclesiastical Provinces, and although the Abbots are elected by the monks their status must also be approved by the Pope.

• Archdiocese of Port de la Sainte (current Archbishop: Louis Cardinal Merloix)
  • Diocese of Éclair (current Bishop: Camille Rivière)
  • Diocese of Épernon (current Bishop: Denis Pape)
  • Diocese of Esternay (current Bishop: Yves Santine)
  • Diocese of Volonté (current Bishop: Victor Thomas)
  • Territorial Abbey of Saint-Michel (current Abbot: Jean-Henri Vert)
• Archdiocese of Decouverte (current Archbishop: Jean-Claude Lejeune)
  • Diocese of Canicule (current Bishop: Louis Remont)
  • Diocese of Escalade (current Bishop: Roderic Saint-Denis)
• Archdiocese of Tranquille (current Archbishop: Raymond Leclerq)
  • Diocese of Citadelle (current Bishop: Charles Weygrand)
  • Territorial Abbey of Saint-Thaddée (current Archabbot: Théophile de Lourdes)
  • Diocese of Subercaseaux (current Bishop: Barthélemy Iskanderovong)
• Archdiocese of Sainte Geneviève (current Archbishop: Pierre Penefort)
  • Diocese of Clermont (current Bishop: Lionel Hackett)

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

In addition to these bishops, the Chloéois Church has two auxiliary bishops, which are appointed to serve the needs of larger archdioceses and support the Bishop of that Diocese. The first is Bishop Robert Marczewski, a member of the Miersan-Chloéois community, for the populated Archdiocese of Port de la Sainte. The second is Bishop Dominique Fremen for the Archdiocese of Tranquille. In addition, there is an additional Chloéois Bishop, Sixte Michel, who serves as as a member of the Solarian Curia, acting as an Papal Nuncio. In addition, the Nuncio to the Church in Sainte-Chloé, currently Bishop Giovanni Giuseppe, acts as a representative of the Pope in Sainte-Chloé, and plays an important role in communcation with Solaria, especially in matters of selection of Bishops.

Together, the Bishops and the territorial abbots meet in a body called the Conférence Épiscopale Arucien ("Arucian Episcopal Conference" or CEA), an episcopal conference which meets to discuss affairs of the Church, such as liturgical norms. However, a common practice for the Chloéois Bishops conference has been to defer decisions to the Primate, a practice largely opposing the trend of increasing collegiality in other countries, although this has often been the case. The Conference more acts as a common place for the Bishops to meet and discuss matters of political policy in the country. Since each of the diocesan Bishops and territorial abbots have a seat in the Deuxième Chambre (excluding the auxiliary bishops), the political power they wield can be enough to check certain issues.

Under the Bishops, the main structure of the church is run by diocesan or "secular" clergy directly underneath their local Bishop, who run most of the parishes and parochial schools across the country. The parish is the basic level of Church structure, and represents one ecclesiastical community, headed by a priest known as a Curé. The curé may be assisted by one or more assistant priests known as vicaires, or other ministers of a lower order such as a deacon or subdeacon. Secular clergy also exist in churches overseen by a territorial abbey. However, Sainte-Chloé also has a large amount of religious clergy or lay religious orders which also run parishes, schools, monasteries, and other church institutions. These come in a variety of forms, with some existing as monastic institutions, some as mendicant institutions, and some combining a mixture of clerical and lay members.

Underneath the clergy and the orders, there exist many lay workers who participate in ecclesial administration, often assisting the church in auxiliary functions, such as landscaping, building maintenance, financial management, or other support roles. Some act as altar servers, lectors, and directors of sacred music. In addition, certain members of the laity act as teachers, providing education at church schools or teaching catechesis, or as support staff for the schools. Church-run hospitals also hire lay doctors and nurses and other staff. The lay faithful also make up the vast majority of Catholics, and attend liturgies at parishes and finance the church through tithes.

Institutions

Education

One of the arcades of the University of Sainte-Chloé, created in 1543.

The Church is the dominant force in education in the country. With the Holistique movement making the church the primary force in education, and the status of the Church in education is protected by the constitution, alongside with joint government-church funding of these institutions. The Church operates educational institutions at every level, and own the majority of the schools throughout the country. Some are owned by the Diocese, while other institutions are owned by sundry religious orders. Of these, the largest is the Roderican Order, although the Servites and Jesuits are also prominent educational forces. Almost all institutions provide free education, although a handful do charge tuition, and tend to be higher-ranking academically are often supported by the Upper Class.

At the primary and secondary levels, the Church owns or operates approximately 85% of the schools. Primary schools known as École, and are usually attached to local parish churches. These are by far the most numerous, and Parish schools are the primary means of education in the country. Many non-Catholics who live in rural areas will send their children to these, as sometimes they can be the best, nearest or sometimes only option, due to the limited nature of state run schools. There are fewer secondary schools, known as Collège, as education at the secondary level is consolidated into more regional units. However, these are still more common than state colleges. On the whole, due to funding and establishment, the Church schools tend to be better run and supportive than the state schools. In addition, even state schools teach catechism, although students may opt out. The Archbishop of Port de la Sainte also has curricular oversight alongside the Ministry of Education.

The Church also operates 18 out of the country's 26 Universities, including the Imperial and Pontifical University of Sainte-Chloé, the country's primary University and a claimant to the oldest University in the Asterias. Although owned and largely staffed by the Rodericans, the University has a variety of religious orders staffing its various colleges. The Archbishop of Port de la Sainte also serves as the school's honorary chancellor. The University was the only tertiary institution of education barring seminaries until the latter half of the 19th century, when the increase of schools necessitated the expansion of the University and the establishment of new ones. The Church took a leading role in establishing Universities, with the first public universities being opened under the Voloix government.

Due to the amount of Catholic institutions owned by religious orders, there are occasionally quarrels between Bishops and orders over matters of doctrine, scandal, or other such matters. The Code of Canon Law states that "no school, even if it is in fact Catholic, may bear the title ‘Catholic school’ except by the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority", which has been used by Bishops to deny a school's affiliation with the Catholic Church. Most often the Bishops have clashed with Jesuit institutions, and have revoked several Jesuit schools from being able to bear the name "Catholic", most notably the University of Saint Ignatius, now considered a private institution operated by the Jesuits rather than as a Catholic University.

Churches, Seminaries, Religious Houses

Cathedral Basilica of Nom Sacré in Éclair.

In Sainte-Chloé, it is estimated that there are 3,021 parish churches throughout the country, meaning an unbalanced distribution of roughly 3,000 faithful per parish. Some parishes are larger, some smaller. Usually, parishes tend to be smaller and closer together in cities, while in rural areas they cover a wider geographic reason. There are 13 Cathedral Churches, which are the seat (cathedra) of Bishops and the principal parish of each diocese. Three of the Cathedrals, and two other non-Cathedral churches, are considered as minor basilicas, a ceremonial distinction of churches with prominence or historical or liturgical significance. The Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame Étoile de la Mer was established as a Basilica in 1811, one of the first basilicas in the Asterias, due to its significance and age. The other Basilicas include the Cathedral Basilica of Nom Sacré (1949) in Éclair, the Abbey Basilica of Saint Michel (1954), the Cathedral Basilica Coeur Immaculé in Tranquille (1962), and the Basilica of Sainte Chloé (2014).

Clerical candidates for both religious and secular priesthood are educated at seminaries, either run by Diocesan Churches or by religious orders. There are 28 seminaries across the country, of varying size and rigour. Most of these are attached to Universities, as all 18 of the Catholic Universites also act as seminaries or have seminaries underneath them, as well as the Jesuit University of Saint Ignatius. However, when seminaries are attached to Universities, almost always dioceses or religious orders will have the seminarians live separately from the students and take additional formational classes. the lay student body The remaining 9 institutions are dedicated seminaries, either being Diocesan Seminaries of Houses of Studies for certain religious orders. Some of these also accept lay students to participate in certain academic classes which the priests are trained in. Other religious orders undertake their formation directly within their monastery or house.

In addition, the existence of other chapels, monasteries and religious houses mean that some do not always attend Mass at parishes. Certain religious orders, such as a Benedictines, the Norbertines, Roderican Sisters and Poor Clares have settled houses known as monasteries or abbeys. There are approximately 230 monasteries across the country, both in urban areas and in rural areas, with a variety of orders. Of these monasteries, there are several which because of their position, usually away from major urban centres, were regarded as territorial abbeys, where the abbot had the authority of Bishop over the parishes of the region. However, in the later 20th century, most of this territory was given to Diocesan bishops. There remain two territorial abbeys- the Benedictine Archabbey of Saint-Thaddée, which still exercises oversight over in Saint-Thaddée Parish, and the Norbertine Abbey of Saint Michel, which oversees the sparsely populated Saint Michel Parish and L'Assomption Parish.

In addition to religious orders which migrated from Euclea, there are some which originated in the country. The Sisters of Sainte-Chloé were founded in 1854 by Saint Madeleine de Maistre, a freed slave. The Sisters would become on of the primary educational forces during the rise of the Holistique movement, and are important sources of teaching in many of the poorer and more rural regions of the country. More recently in 1992, the Canons of Sainte-Chloé were a group of canons founded with a special charism focused on the sanctification of priests and traditional liturgy, which has since spread across the country as well as to multiple countries across the world.

Politics

Legal Status

The 1954 Church is legally protected by the Constitution,