Caphiric Church

Caphiric Catholic Church
Caphirium Ecclesia Catholica
Saint Paugenia's Cathedral in Venceia
Classification	Catholic
Orientation	Caphiric Catholicism
Scripture	Bible
Polity	Episcopal
Structure	Communion
Pope	Gregory XVII
Patriarch of Venceia and All Sarpedon	Abp. Jenius Gaius
Region	Caphiria
Language	Caphiric Latin and Latin
Headquarters	Saint Paugenia's Cathedral
Founder	Jesus Christ, according to sacred tradition
Reunion	Catholic Church (2017)
Separated from	Catholic Church (1615)
Members	~700 million
Missionaries	10 million

The Caphiric Catholic Church, formerly and commonly known as the Imperial Church of Caphiria, is a particular church in full communion with the Pope and the worldwide Catholic Church. It is by far the largest particular church, with over one billion congregants, and the only one to worship in the Caphiric rite. It is the established church and was the de facto state religion of the Imperium of Caphiria for over three centuries. The primate of the church is the Patriarch of Venceia and All Sarpedon.

Caphiria played a major role in the second wave of Christian proselytization during the Middle Ages. Imperator Marius Oratonius was baptized into the Catholic Church in 1079, and all Caphiria would be nominally Christianized by the end of the 12th century. Caphiria's significant territorial expansion during the Late Middle Ages was officially sanctioned by the Pope, who granted to the Imperators the title "Protector of Christendom." While the Popes were increasingly assertive of their temporal and spiritual authority in Levantia during this time, the Caphiric Church was left alone, as the Papacy depended on the tithes and prestige afforded by the Sarpedonian bishoprics. The relationship between the Popes and the Imperators began to break down due to the emerging Protestant Revolt in the early 16th century. Caphiria was insulated from the struggle, but theological tensions with the Urceopolitan church had long simmered beneath the surface, and the Imperators took advantage of ecclesiastical division and the Pope's focus on crushing Protestantism to increase imperial authority. The Caphiric church's position was further weakened by the growth of classicism in Caphiria, which called for a Christianity that conformed to ancient Caphirian virtues and would restore the religious positions enjoyed by the Imperator during the Principate. The triumph of the Counter-reformation and the resulting growth of Urcean influence in Levantia and over the Church further strained relations. Beginning in the early 1550s, Caphiria began to protestant refugees. The first official step towards schism was in 1560 when clergy were required to make an oath of loyalty to the Imperator, and the process was completed in with the Great Schism of 1615, when Pius XII took the title pontifex maximus by acclimation of the Caphirian bishops. For many years after the Schism, pro-Levantine Catholic factions continued to challenge the leadership of the new Caphiric Church. These factions, and the people that supported the Levantine Church still, were known as Traditionalists and were heavily persecuted and executed under heresy laws. This period is known as the Months of Bloody Sundays as it was common practice for the Imperator to simply execute any people who were not coming to church in protest. Traditionalists were executed under legislation that punished anyone judged guilty of heresy against the Caphiric Church. Ultimately, the Caphiric Church went through a series of reformations (The Reformations of 1627), and the church was renamed the Imperial Catholic Church. The Church embraced the Caphiric Pyramid and Venceism among other dogmas during this period. While it remains essentially Catholic, these reformations contributed to distinct, partially protestantized, theological and liturgical expressions in the Caphiric Church.

Beginning in the late 2000s, the detente between Urcea and Caphiria led to a renewed ecumenical dialogue between the Caphirian and Levantine churches. in 2017, the Eight Points Agreement was signed by the Imperator and Pope, facilitating the restoration of full communion and the preservation of the Caphiric church's autonomy and spiritual patrimony. The Agreement also formally erected the Caphiric Church as a particular church within Catholicism with its own set of canon law and only unique liturgical rite.

Virtually all of Caphiric Catholics live within the Imperium of Caphiria, or former Caphirian territories. Full participation in the sacramental life of each church is available to all communicant members. Due to the historical link to Caphiria, some member churches are known as "Caphiric Catholic," such as the Caphiric Church of Zaclaria.

Governance

The Caphiric Church is divided into dioceses and archdioceses and is under the ultimate authority of the Patriarch of Venceia and All Sarpedon, the highest authority within the Caphiric Church who answers only to the Pope. During the schismatic era, the Imperator himself was the head of the Caphiric Church in his position of Pontifex Maximus, and the Church was managed by the College of Pontiffs, which was abolished following the Eight Points Agreement. While it received no legal replacement within the Caphirian Government, the Caphiric Episcopal Conference replaced it in its role as consultative body of the Caphiric Church. The Conference answers to the Patriarch of Venceia and All Sarpedon and has no conciliar authority beyond that which is delegated to it by the Patriarch.

Patriarchate

The Patriarch of Venceia and All Sarpedon is the supreme authority of the Caphiric Church. As per the Eight Points Agreement, the Patriarch is nominated directly by the Imperator of Caphiria and approved by the Pope. The Patriarch may issue or alter the canon of law within the Church on his own prerogative. In his capacity as Patriarch of Venceia, he is the ordinary of the Venceian Archdiocese and is responsible for the leadership of the Caphiric Church. In his capacity as Patriarch of All Sarpedon, he is nominally the highest ranking cleric on the continent, though this authority is largely symbolic as Latin Rite and other particular churches fall outside his jurisdiction. Nevertheless, the Patriarch is to serve as a focal point of Christian unity for people in Sarpedon.

As the Eight Points Agreement provides that the Imperator or Government of Caphiria may appoint bishops with Papal confirmation, the Patriarch also practically functions as the highest religious advisor for the Caphirian government, and is responsible for selecting names that the Government selects for bishops. With the abolition of the Ministry of the Church, the Patriarch serves as de facto head minister for religious affairs in Caphiria.

Diocesan administration

Much like the Catholic Church globally, the Caphiric Church is divided into jurisdictions under the control of a single bishop known as dioceses. The Caphiric Church employs a very large number of moderately small dioceses unlike most other countries abroad. During the schismatic era, the bishops were viewed as a means of oversight and influence throughout the country and were employed as a kind of quasi-civil service, providing both teaching and material benefit alongside the civil government. Accordingly, within the Caphiric Church in modern Caphiria, there are 1,092 dioceses, nearly 200 more than Urcea despite Caphiria being half the size in terms of population. A minority of dioceses have become effectively titular dioceses as the geographical area covered has become depopulated in the last 400 years.

Monastic orders

Within the Caphiric Church, monasticism is generally prohibited with a few notable exceptions. Monastic orders were common in Caphiria prior to the schism, but with the schism their lands were seized and the monks within were pressed into service as military chaplains and other similar duties. The orders were not reestablished following the end of the schism.

Doctrine

Church

consists of all believers

Justification

good works, private masses

Mary

The Caphiric Church holds a high Mariology, ascribing to her the title of Mother of God while ascribing to the ideas of the Assumption, Immaculate Conception, and perpetual virginity of Mary.

Sacraments

The Caphiric church teaches that the sacraments are efficacious signs of grace instituted by Jesus Christ in the New Covenant for the succor of his Church on earth. The numbering of the sacraments was controversial in the early post-Reformation church. Ritualists argued that there were seven sacraments (though within this group, there were divisions on whether all sacraments were equal), while pietists, more closely aligned with the theology of the Levantine Reformation, argued that only the Eucharist and Baptism were sacraments. The ritualist party was eventually victorious with the support of the imperial government and eventually reached a compromise on the division of the sacraments into ecclesiastical sacraments: Confirmation, Extreme Unction, and Matrimony, which they saw as instituted by the Church, and evangelical sacraments: Ordination, Baptism, the Eucharist, and Penance, which they saw as instituted clearly by Jesus Christ in Sacred Scripture. The Caphiric Church has always taught that only presbyters ordained in the line of the Apostles can administer valid sacraments and that sacraments are valid ex opere operato, regardless of the spiritual state of the presbyter administering them.

The Caphiric understanding of the ecclesiastical sacraments as "instituted by the Church" was a source of controversy during the negotiations leading up to the Eight Points Agreement. Some within the Catholic and Caphiric churches contended that this meant that such sacraments were without inherent efficacy and were in opposition to the Catholic doctrine that all sacraments were established by Christ. The understanding reached affirmed that the ecclesiastical sacraments were established by Christ, and had inherent efficacy, but that the Caphiric church could teach that this establishment by Christ was through the Church and not personal. The Caphiric Church also continues to emphasize the special character of the evangelical sacraments as imparting direct, personal grace that is necessary for salvation.

Evangelical sacraments

Ordination

Ordination is taught by the Caphiric Church to be a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ by the selection of his Twelve Apostles. The Church teaches that the authority conveyed by ordination allows for the formation and practice of the ecclesiastical sacraments. The sacrament of ordination, like all other Caphiric sacraments, follows the practice of the global Catholic Church, but this was not always so. Ordination was the only sacrament significantly altered during the schismatic period. As part of the 1627 Reforms, new language was introduced to the sacrament. The sacrament was amended to include that any efficacious change to one's person - the change which actually makes a person into a priest or bishop - could not take place unless sworn belief in the articles of the 1627 Reformation was present, which included a faith testimonial regarding the status of the Imperator within the Christian church. Critically, it included language that consecration or ordination could not take place without Imperial authority, theologically implying that the Imperator, in his own power, had the ability to confer the sacrament. The sacrament also now included a loyalty oath at the beginning of the sacrament. Apostolic succession was also altered, as many new bishops were consecrated by the Imperator, who received no episcopal consecration and instead was proclaimed to have the authority of a bishop by order of the Senate.

The changes made to the sacrament were viewed as defective by the global Catholic Church and the priesthood orders of the Imperial Church were considered invalid. A central point of the Eight Points Agreement required all Imperial clergy to be reconsecrated or reordained, as appropriate, using the sacrament used by the global Catholic Church. Since the reconciliation of the churches, the Caphiric Church has adopted the form of ordination used abroad.

Worship and Practice

Liturgy

Main article: Caphiric Rite

The liturgy of the Caphiric Church is the Caphiric Rite, a form unique to the Church. It has the same theological basis as the conventional global Catholic mass but with many enculturated elements which it gained during the schismatic period. The liturgical service in the Caphiric Church is known as a hostia. Hostia in the Caphiric Church also deemphasizes the communal shared element of the liturgy while emphasizing its sacrificial nature, with language centering the true sacrifice at Calvary as being re-presented on the altar. While this belief in in line with the teaching of the Church, the phrasing of the Caphiric liturgy makes it the focal point. Accordingly, scripture is deemphasized within the Caphiric liturgy, and unlike the reformed global Catholic mass, the Gospel reading is accompanied only by a reading of the Old Testament, of which many additional references are made within the liturgy.

The emphasis of the sacrificial element of the hostia was the result of two distinct developments during the schismatic period. Socially and politically, the newly independent Imperial Church began to re-emphasize a kind of a transactional religion similar to the mythological religions of pre-Christian times, namely that if the sacrifice was offered by the whole people, God would continue to bless and protect Caphiria; while teachings on this subject have been deemphasized since the Eight Points Agreement, they remain the popular conception of the function of religion among a majority of Caphirians. The second development was a period of "ressourcement" in the late 1600s which "reintroduced" to the liturgy elements of the Old Testament temple sacrifices. Accordingly, many additional references to temple practices were introduced within the text of the liturgy, the clothes of the clergy were changed to reflect contemporary understandings of ancient Jewish practice, decoration reflects descriptions of the temple, and critically the Altar of Burning was introduced into the liturgy and churches. This Altar, a protruding indented slab, is where the main Eucharistic sacrament takes place, but following the distribution of communion, most of the remaining consecrated bread is burned in what the Caphiric Church calls "a way for the people to participate in the eternal sacrifice of the Son to the Father in the timeless tradition given to Moses and the prophets"; this process creates Sacred Ash, a substance used throughout Caphirian religious life. As a result, only a small amount of the consecrated bread is stored within the tabernacle. The bread used in the Caphiric Rite is leavened bread as opposed to the unleavened bread used within the Latin Rite.

Devotions

The Caphiric Church embraces many of the same devotions of the global Catholic Church, including those from before the schism and including many miraculous ones during the schism.

Texts

The Credo

The Credo - the statement of orthodox faith within the liturgy as formulated by early Church councils - remains in use in the Caphiric Church and is repeated at each liturgy. During the schismatic era, various minor alterations were made to the creed. The most dramatic was the alteration of the conclusion of the creed, which added an additional paragraph known as the "Imperial Credo" after the profession of belief in the Holy Spirit but before that of profession of belief in the Church. This language was included to coincide with adoption of the Caphiric Pyramid as church dogma in 1810, but remained in the creed after its removal from church teaching. The pre-2017 Caphiric credo is reproduced below in Ænglish, with schismatic additions in italics.

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets and through the authority on earth.

I believe in the sacred responsibility of the Imperator,

Who from the Father receives power and dominion,

From the son Grace,

And from the Holy Spirit wisdom.

I believe in one, holy, imperial, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Writings of the Latter Fathers

In addition to the writings of the Church Fathers that are held in esteem throughout Catholicism, a series of writings from the generation of the time of the schism, as well as from the time immediately before it, are revered by Caphiric Catholics. These texts, known as the Writings of the Latter Fathers, dealt with Catholicism in Caphiria and its relationship to the contemporary world of the 16th and 17th centuries. The texts include treatises refuting certain elements of Protestantism while leaving the door open for others, as well as condemnations of the errors of Islam and ultramontanism. Many of these texts were prohibited or refuted by orthodox Catholic authorities and writers at the time, but since the schism many of these texts have been allowed. Most of them have been reconciled with orthodox belief, though a handful of writers - the strictest adherents of Venceism - have been removed from scholarly and spiritual circulation.

Culture

Calendar and Major feasts

The liturgical calendar of the church bears a close resemblance to the Levantine General Calendar, from which it diverged following the Schism of 1615. After the reunion with Urceopolis, the existing calendar has been provisionally maintained, with modifications to be made should the cause of any post-split saint on the Caphirian calendar be found lacking. Structurally, the only major difference between the Levantine and Caphirian calendars is the use of the term feria. In the Caphirian calendar, as a result of the reforms carried out following the schism, a feria (plural: feriae) refers to Sundays and feast days (as the term was used in the pagan era). In the Levantine calendar, a feria is a weekday without a feast.

Several feasts enjoy significantly more prominence in the Caphiric world than they do in the rest of Christendom: Martinmas, Saint George's Day, and Michaelmas are all public holidays and are the most important public holidays outside of Christmas, Easter, and All Saints. All three commemorate military saints, a reflection of the high degree of militarization in Caphirian society. Michaelmas is the primary armed forces day in Caphiria and is marked each year by a military parade in Venceia. Martinmas is a remembrance day for all Caphirian war dead, while Saint George's Day is a commemoration of Caphiria's various historical military triumphs.

Cults

The Caphiric Church shares adoration and intercessory prayer for most of the same saints as the Catholic Church abroad as well as several dozen saints of Caphiria which were canonized during the period of the schism.

The largest of the unique devotional cults of the Caphiric Church is that of the cult of "Saint" Pontius Pilate, the official responsible for condemning Jesus to his crucifixion despite hesitancy to do so. According to popular Caphiric legend, Pilate later repented of his failure to save Jesus but was told by a vision of Christ that he was necessary to accomplish his will, after which time Pilate became a committed Christian. The Saint Pilate cult and legends emphasize the struggle of earthly authority to always choose rightly while stating that even poor decisions by civic leaders may serve God's will in some form, a teaching emphasized by the Caphiric Church.

Architecture

Most Caphiric churches eschew the traditional basilica or long cruciform designs common in churches in Levantia, instead opting for "short" cruciform designs, making most of the body of the church essentially a square. Many ancient churches, and a small amount of modern builds, are constructed in the round, having been adaptations of pre-Christian temples. The basic layout of a Caphiric church is not essentially different than that of the rest of the Occidental Catholic Church, with a location for the lay faithful to stand, an elevated altar typically facing eastward, and a tabernacle for retaining the consecrated bread.

Several key differences exist within the worship space, however. Large and ornate rood screens are present in nearly every Caphiric church, separating the nave from the sanctuary. Most different about Caphiric Churches is a large stone basin infront of the altar and tabernacle, the Altar of Burning, wherein most of the remaining consecrated bread is burnt towards the end of the hostia. It separates the "Gospel" and "Prophets" sides of the main altar from which the Gospel and Old Testament readings, respectively, are read. The main altar itself is typically centered by a tabernacle which is in the shape of the biblical description of the Ark of the Covenant, and accordingly most can be moved despite their large size and weight. A tradition in the 1800s provided that a monstrance displaying the consecrated host would be placed in the "mercy seat" atop the tabernacle, and this design is not uncommon throughout Caphiria. On each side of the tabernacle typically sits a lampstand in the form of the ancient Jewish menorah, with the lampstand being lit to denote a high or low hostia, similar to the function of altar candles within a Latin Rite mass. Beginning in the late 1700s, the rood screens would often be accompanied by a veil intended to emulate the temple veil, and the veil would be closed when hostia was not being offered; this symbolized the sanctuary becoming a new holy of holies.

Pews are extremely uncommon in most Caphiric churches despite becoming the norm in Levantia, and accordingly the Caphiric Rite liturgy has looser, but still defined, rubrics for participation by lay people. In their place, most Caphiric churches have benches, typically of stone or marble, lining the interior walls of the church building, and during most parts of the liturgy the elderly, children, and others may remain seated as the need presents itself.

Clergy

The clergy of the Caphiric Church are ordained or consecrated clergy within the Catholic Church and function in a hierarchical basis, with deacons, priests, and bishops comprising the basic types of clergy. Following the Eight Points Agreement, all clergy of the Caphiric Church received a conditional ordination or consecration due to possible defects in those sacraments during the schismatic era.

During the schismatic period, clergy within the Caphiric Church were emphasized as servants of the state and public given their role as pro-aedile. Accordingly, all priests were elevated to the social rank of equite. The Eight Points Agreement and subsequent negotiations abolished the automatic tier of equite as it was anticipated that many foreign priests would enter the country. Following the Agreement, a process was set up whereby native-born clerics with a confirmed heritage could still receive the rank of equite upon request.

Unlike the rest of the Catholic Church, clerics within the Caphiric Church are permitted to hold public office.

Marriage

Within the Caphiric Church and according to its canon law as a particular church within the Catholic Church, priests are able to marry prior to their ordination to the priesthood. During the schismatic period, it became legal for priests to take wives, and it also became socially expected that the first son of a priest would also become a priest, and it was the legal norm for sons to succeed fathers as the heads of parishes. Accordingly, more than two thirds of priests in Caphiria are so-called "hereditary priests". Any additional sons of priests were expected, as members of the equite class, to enter public service or some other high level social obligation.

Dress

Priests and clergy of the Caphiric Church have two styles of dress which are wholly unique to the Caphiric Rite. Outside of hostia or other church functions, priests - as magistrates - are entitled to wear a toga for everyday use. The clerical toga has a bright scarlet fringe, symbolizing the role of the clerics in the sacrifice of the altar, calling to mind both the blood of the Old Testament sacrifice as well as the fire employed within the Caphiric Rite.

Within the liturgy, there are several different pieces of clothing worn, largely attempting to reproduce the vestments of the high priest as described within the Old Testament and adapted within the Christian setting, but without headware of any kind. In this setting, a priest wears an alb - a long white garment symbolizing the immaculate state of the soul after baptism. Above the alb but below the rest of the vestments, the priest wears a blue stole, symbolizing the blue robes of the priests as described in the book of Exodus. Above these, the priest wears a linen chausble which is reminiscent of the ephod as described in the Old Testament, with alternating patterns of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. The chasuble-ephod, which does not extend over the arms or shoulders of the priest, is often embroidered with different patterns such as crosses and scriptural scenes. The priest also wears a sash in the form of a belt in the same material of the chasuble. In addition to these vestments, which are to be worn by all clergy during a hostia, the celebrant wears a priestly breastplate based on the one described in Exodus. The Caphiric Breastplate has nine stones within it rather than twelve, and the breastplates do not have any required type of stones within them. On the stones, a matrix of words is written in Latin, with the top row reading "FATHER - SON - SPIRIT", the second row reading "SON - SPIRIT - FATHER", and the third row reading "SPIRIT - FATHER - SON", with the overall matrix of the words symbolizing the infinite nature of the trinity. In most cases, the breastplate is secured to the chasuble by means of faux onyx stones, emulating that of Exodus, but in prestigious churches it is not uncommon to find elaborate onyx shoulder pieces.

Priestly magisterial duties

All clerics within the Caphiric Church are invested with a minor magistracy of Caphiria upon their ordination, symbolizing their responsibility to the State but also their role as a "minister of public good". The magistracies vary based on the level of the cleric, with most priests being invested as pro-aediles, though rarely some are invested instead as nominal decemvirs or other positions.

Social Teaching and Role

Abortion and Birth control

The Caphiric Church, as part of the global Catholic Church, teaches that abortion is a "moral evil" and that contraception is an "intrinsic evil". During the schismatic period when the Imperial Church functioned independently, views on both topics were mixed and the Imperial Church had no definitive teaching either matter. The prevailing view represented something of a coalition between "moralists" - those who viewed both practices as morally wrong - and the "nationalists", who believed that suppression of birth rates made Caphiria weaker, an act that itself was morally wrong. While these two groups never managed to create official Church teaching prohibiting the practices, they nonetheless succeeded in preventing the Church of approving of them on several occasions.

Though the Caphiric Church teaches and professes the position of the global Church on these issues, Church leadership has made a pastoral decision to deemphasize these teachings in order to remain relevant within Caphirian society.