Catholic

**Catholicism** is one of the faiths practiced in After the End. It is the largest faith in the game, and is headed by the Pope, who as of 2666 resides on St. Louis, the New Rome. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practices the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Latin Church, the twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church.

Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions. Catholic social teaching emphasises voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Catholic is part of the Christian religious group.

## Description

> "*Catholicism is one of the oldest branches of Christianity, and it survived the cataclysmic events of centuries past by the skin of its teeth. After the Deluge, the surviving Catholic hierarchy in America received word of a divine apparition that confirmed the destruction of the Papacy in Rome and gave the surviving American cardinals the right to elect a new Bishop of Rome from their number. The new American Popes lacked a permanent temporal seat for centuries - a period known as "the Wandering Papacy" - until control over the old city of St. Louis in Missouri was finally established in the late 24th century. Because of its association with the Papacy, St. Louis earned the nickname "New Rome", although this term is not officially used by the Catholic Church. The formal head of the religion is the Bishop of Rome - the Pope.*"
> ― In-game description of Catholic
>
>

## Gods

* **High God:** God
* **God Names:** God, the Lord, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin
* **Evil God Names:** Satan, Lucifer and the Devil
* **Scripture:** The Bible

## History

According to legend and prophecy, Petrus Romanus, the last pope in Rome, would cause the destruction of the Eternal City. When the Event occurred, all forms of advanced communication were lost. Subsequently, this meant that Catholics in America had lost contact with the Holy See in Rome. The Prophecy of the Popes was considered to have come true. Due to the need for a Catholic head of faith, the leading Catholic bishops of the Americas elected their own Pope in the city of St. Louis. St. Louis was promptly rechristened into 'New Rome' and the new Pope who resided there took over responsibility as the Catholic head of faith. In the face of post-Event upheavals, most Catholics readily recognized the new Pope's power. However, not everything was so harmonious. One group of Catholics, the Sedevacantists, refused to recognize the authority of the Pope in New Rome and continued to view the Papacy as being vacant due to lost contact with Old Rome. Another group, the Neo-Gnostics, emerged in Colorado as a fusion of Catholic and Californian Cetic teachings and refused to respect the Pope's authority as religious head. Finally, the Catholics of Quebec also refused to recognize the authority of the Pope in New Rome and instead turned to the local matriarchal Ursuline Order for religious guidance. The only time the Ursulines of Quebec were united with mainstream Catholicism was during the Papacy of the Ursuline Pope and Abbess-General Agrippine 'the Maid' the first (and so far only) female Pope.

### List of Popes

1. **Petrus Romanus** is a Pope shrouded in legend. Some say he is just a myth, but other say he was a real Pope who caused the destruction of Old Rome and lived to the wickedly old age of 666.
2. **Orel** was the legendary recorded first Pope of New Rome. Pope Orel hailed from the Washington area and was elected the first Pope of New Rome by the new College of Cardinals in St. Louis.
3. **Adam I** was the second legendary recorded Pope of New Rome.
4. **Samuel** was the third legendary recorded Pope of New Rome.
5. **Redeemed I**
6. **Hallelujah I**
7. **Adam II**
8. **Righteous I**
9. **Redeemed II**
10. **Blessed-Be**
11. **Hallelujah II**
12. **Redeemed III**
13. **Barnabas I**
14. **Agrippine 'the Maid'**
15. **Barnabas II**
16. **Righteous II**
17. **Orsen**
18. **David**
19. **Barnabas III**
20. **Redeemed IV**
21. **Fear-Not**
22. **Praise-God**
23. **Humble**
24. **David II**
25. **Advent**
26. **What-God-Will**
27. **Humble II 'the Proud'**
28. **Redeemed V**
29. **Son-Of-The-Right-Hand 'the Young'**
30. **Hallelujah III**
31. **What-God-Will II**
32. **Deliverance I**
33. **Deliverance III**
34. **God-Is-Salvation**
35. **God-Is-Gracious**
36. **Solomon**
37. **Humble III**
38. **Zealot**
39. **Pilate**
40. **David III**
41. **Pilate II**
42. **Redeemed VI**
43. **Praised-Be**

The Papacy itself had only been a titular title until 2400, with each respective Pope ruling from his own home city. However, when the Canon of Saint Louis left the Ecumenical Council and elected Pope, he turned the city into a New Rome, and made it the official seat of the Papacy.

Catholicism is now spread across the Midwest, from Chicago to Houston, with a few exclaves spread around.

## Holy Sites

* **Chicago**
* **Denver**
* **New Orleans**
* **St. Louis**
* **Washington**

Two of the five sites, Chicago and St. Louis, are held by members of the mainstream Catholic faith. The other three are held by heathens. Denver is held by Trailwalkers. Washington is held by members of the Americanist faith. New Orleans is held by members of the Voodoo faith.

## Crusade Targets/Core Regions

Ordered in decreasing importance

* Kingdom of Missouri - 5000 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Louisiana - 500 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Uppland - 300 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Chicagoland - 200 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Iowa - 100 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Comancheria - 100 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Jacinto - 100 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Rio Grande - 100 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Ozarks - 50 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Platte - 50 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Magnolia - 50 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Colorado - 50 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Columbia - 50 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Lakotah - 20 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Michigan - 20 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Superior - 20 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Appalachia - 20 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Gotham - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Deitscherei - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of New England - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Ohio - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Allegheny - 5 Crusade Weight
* Old Dominion(Kingdom) - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Georgia - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Carolina - 5 Crusade Weight
* Kingdom of Quebec - 5 Crusade Weight

## In-game features

* Catholic Bishops map pay tax to the Pope rather than their secular liege
* Catholic Rulers can set up Antipopes
* The Pope may excommunicate Catholic characters
* The Pope can grant divorces
* The Pope can grant the Invasion Casus Belli
* The Pope can grant Claims on titles
* The Pope can call for a Crusade
* Rulers can order adult unlanded courtiers to take the vows
* Fleets can navigate major rivers
* There is always a Pope, landed or not

As of 2666, Catholicism has a 54.9 moral authority. A temple holder of the Catholic faith is called a bishop.

## Societies

* Lucifer's Own
* The Order of St. Leibowitz
* The Society of Jesus

## Catholic Characters in 2666

### Independent & Their Vassals

* King Franklin Greysnow of Iowa;
	+ Duke Truman Still of Chariton;
		- Count Hamilcar Barck of Hannibal;
	+ Duke Poynter Adams-Farwell of Driftless;
	+ Count Zerubbabel Oto of Kanesville;
	+ Count Lyman Wapello of Ottumwa;
	+ Count Dale Dedale of Icaria;
	+ Count Zedkiah Crossing of Prairie Rapids;
* King Pahayoko II Nokona of Comancheria;
	+ Duke Buffalo Taylor-Jones of Abilene;
	+ Duke Gonzalo Correcaminito of Estacado, also known as The Speedy;
		- Count Preston Fannin of Dal Paso;
		- Count Tom Saltus of Lubbock;
	+ Count Mankato Wicasa of Laverne;
	+ Count Isa-havey Eschiti of Childress;
	+ Count Garcia Powell of Crockett;
* King Ned Brasge of Platte;
	+ Chief Zechariah Strongroot of Niobrara;
	+ Chief Hezekiah Arpee of Republic;
* Duke Earl Danvorn of Waxhaw;
	+ Count Fulton Bertelsmeyer of Meramec;
* Duke Mack Rusk of the Longhorn Realm;
* Grand Duke Napoleon Ramsays of Little Egypt;
* Grand Duke Azor Plumbum of Lead Belt;
* Grand Duchess Sarah Leitner of Great River;
* Duke Floyd Zanco of Aggies;
* Duke Jeroboam Gammton of Forgottonia;
* Duke Will-usdi Boudinot of Sequoyah;
	+ Count Osceola Tustenuggee of McAlester;
* Duke Jubal Blythe of Arkansas;
	+ Count Walter Ezzard of Chicot;
* Duke Dwight Jiberry of Amarillo;
* Duke Robert II DeSalle of Calumet;
* Duke Denton Wise of Metroplex;
	+ Count Hollis Hannegan of Waxahachie;
	+ Countess Elvira Murchison of Dallas;
* Duke Calvin Rodman of the Quad Cities;
	+ Count Amos Rodman of Galena;
* Queen Amanda Steinbach of Illinois;
	+ Count Vincentz Steinbach of Chambana;
	+ Count Franjo Steinbach of Decatur;
* Duke Cyrus Helianthus of Kansas;
* Count Jeroboan Aestivum of Arp;
* Count Zebediah Barley of Freeborn;
* Count Abner Hannegan of Texarkana;
* Count Ranbert Abbrederis of Kickapoo;
* Count Clifton Cambariday of Bluffwoods;
* Count Hannibal Barnes of Osage;
* Count Lorton Mudshore of Saline;
* Count Leon Penalver of Itta Homma;
* Count Ishmael Ashur of Yohogania;
* Count Wyatt Masterson of Dodge, also known as the Peacemaker;
* Countess Ana Sedgwick of Wichita;

### Vassals of a Lord of Different Faith

* Count Louis Roysoleale of Versailles;
* Count Morrell Okableck of Minnehaha;
* Count Tadeusz Kosciuszko of Tombigbee;
* Count Peter Antilocapra of Khangi Wakpa;
* Lord Christian Oppermann of Fundy;

### Mercenary Bands

* Anachronists, currently led by Sir Percival
* Foreign Legion, currently led by Captain Amédée
* Free Rangers Division, currently led by Captain Emory
* Hood Band, currently led by Captain Clint
* Hood Company, currently led by Captain Allan
* Keetowah Nighthawk Band, currently led by Chief Yonah Oolah
* Michigan Chartists, currently led by Captain Roscoe
* Pinkerton Company, currently led by Grand Headmaster Lumen
* Seminole Band, currently led by Chief Onsi
* Seventh Cavalry Regiment, currently led by Colonel Cash
* Tonkawa Scouts, currently led by Chief Takibull

## Trivia

* Like many other religions in the game, Catholicism is an existing faith.
* Much of the background behind Catholicism in the Midwest was inspired by the book "A Canticle for Leibowitz", including St. Louis' position as New Rome and the Papacy's Abbey of St. Leibowitz in Jicarilla.
* The Papacy's seat in St. Louis may also be a play on the term, "College of Cardinals", as the city is home to the St. Louis Cardinals.