Holmgar II
Pope Holmgar II | |
|---|---|
| File:Popekvitekrist.jpg | |
| Predecessor | Jon III |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Egir Skallagrimsen |
| Born | 2nd of June, 1967 Fjordland, Breheim |
| Nationality | Breheimian |
| Denomination | Breheimian Universal Church |
| Residence | High Temple of White-Christ, Svartskog, Breheim |
| Spouse | Idun Karlsdatter |
| Children | Ragnar Holmgarsen, Vigdis Holmgarsdatter |
| Previous post | Grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Saint Vodan |
Holmgar II is the current Pope of the Breheimian Universal Church and former Grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Saint Vodan. Holmgar II was anointed following the death of Pope Jon III in 2006. The Universal Church's numbers have increased during Holmgar II's term as Pope, as he have brought increased focus on spreading the faith. In part, he has done so by having missionaries of the Church accompany the Brotherhoods (the armed wing of the Universal Church) during operations as private military contractors abroad and attempts at modernizing the faith through acceptance of same-sex marriage.
Pre-Papal Life
Holmgar II was born as Egir Skallagrimsen in the village of Bornes in Fjordland in Breheim, one of the few Universal Church strongholds in that part of the country. He initially took an education of a carpenter, but following his military service joined the Brotherhood of Saint Voden (one of the eleven armed companies of the Universal Church that have acted as private military contractors since the mid-19th century) and have served in conflicts globally. He was appointed Grandmaster of the Brotherhood following the death of the former Grandmaster, Karl Bjørnsen, while serving in Île de Cuivre in 1995, becoming one of the youngest Grandmasters of the Church since its legalization in 1792.
An outspoken critic of Pope Jon III, Egir Skallagrimsøn was of the opinion that the Church should not only look for money in its military contracts, but also for their employers to at the very least be in the vicinity of the morals preached by the Church. Egir was almost excommunicated in 2004 when he called the Pope a 'protestant' for his refusal to condemn the practice of wife-husbandry, but Jon III withdrew the excommunication after Egir challenged the Pope to a Holmgang to settle the matter. Egir was elected Pope in 2006 after what the cardinals have claimed was direct divine intervention by the White-Christ in favour of Egir.
As Pope
Holmgar II implemented wide reforms of the Church following his ascension to Pope, all within the first three months of his term. He declared that same-sex marriages would now be done by the Church, the declaration of slavery, racism and wife-husbandry to be anathema and a new radical push to spread the tenets of the Universal Church abroad through a mixture of peaceful missionary work and the integration of missionaries directly into the Brotherhoods. While there was some resistance to these measures, Pope Holmgar II declared that any individual within the Church who objected against Papal Infallibility would need to fight him in an honorable Holmgang. After killing Bishop Grym, Father Børre, Father Klaus and Cardinal Hans in separate holmgangs he declared that the White-Christ had indeed confirmed his Papal Infallibility through his own strength and the reforms were carried out without any further protest within the Church.