Kanjor

[Drax]

CLAIRON PICARD
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 APC HOPES FOR STABILITY
 
Sainte Hortense Cathedral, January 25, 5630: CLAIRON PICARD asked Archbishop of Atyr Reynard Bourdeselles if there would be more pressure from the Aurorian Patriarchal Church (APC) for a state church now that the Union Hosienne – Democrate (UHD) was in the government, and the Archbishop replied:
 

No. Not all.  I can of course not speak for the UHD but I can speak for the APC in Kanjor.  The current ongoing situation is the Federation Canrille (FC) and the APC in Kanjor have a long ago negotiated arrangement whereby the APC can worship in our facilities, operate schools where prayer led by staff is permitted including a university, and have three religious orders in addition to the priesthood. We can not be involved in politics which is to say priests, nuns and monks and the APC itself may not endorse or support political candidates, parties or specific pieces of legislation and may not contribute funds for them or other political activity or be members or officers of a party or hold political office.
 
We can vote, express our opinion of and what we consider the Lord’s view of personal conduct and the ills of Terra and privately express our opinions. The contact point for church – state relations is the Premier’s Office and the office of the Archdiocese.
 
Why do we not want a state church or influence in politics?  First, quite a few citizens still consider themselves Hosian and a majority of those consider themselves APC. On the other hand, while most citizens have no objection to Hosians, praying, worshipping and preaching to each other, almost no citizens are willing for the APC or any other religious body to have any official control or influence upon them.
 
So we are quite content with the current law and our current arrangement.

Asked by CLAIRON PICARD what would happen if Parti Social - Democrate (PSD) grows in strength, the Archbishop replied:
 

We believe FC would not abandon the arrangement to be in a coalition with SPD. It has worked well for a  long time even when a brief foreign imposed government claimed some  Hosian sect was involved in terrorism. 
 
But what if SPD gets a majority? We hope we could convince them the current arrangement is a good one and believe we could.

 
Asked by CLAIRON PICARD if there were elements of the APC in Kanjor who favored political involvement, Bourdeselles responded.
 

Of course. The church position is not monolithic and placidly accepted but a balancing act akin to juggling. Many years ago the Ordo Clericorum Regulularium Congregationis Fratum Eliae, generally called Eliasits, was created by an Arch Patriarch hoping to perpetuate the Church Militant and Rampant.  The Curia built for their training and indoctrination the Institute for Higher Studies in Mavigny.  My predecessor cooperated with that effort and the Eliasit movement and even supported election of an Eliasit Arch Patriarch.
 
Generally speaking, the Eliasits in Kanjor believe the APC should dominate politics everywhere and are not afraid to tell me or each other so. But, as you can imagine, the movement proved transient in Terra generally, and for hundreds of years neither the Eliasit Order in Kanjor nor its Institute have received one sou from the Curia or anybody else.  Except the APC in Kanjor.
 
Well, you might very well say, the APC in Kanjor barely receives contributions enough to operate itself; how can that make any difference? During the period of cooperation with the two Eliasit arch Patriarchs, we received two benefits.  First, the Archbishop, currently me, entirely controls the APC in Kanjor including appointment of all bishops. Second, and more to the point, my predecessor arranged for the Arch Patriarch to recognize throughout Terra the Contemplative Monastic Order of Occidentalium whose First Master would be officially recognized after election by its abbots and priors by the Archbishop of Atyr.
 
The Contemplative Monastic Order of Occidentalium has always been extremely well funded from its initial endowment and its agricultural and medicinal activity as well as very successful investments.  It is their funds that allow the APC to operate schools in Marois and Numineux Provinces and a few elsewhere and operate the Institute of Higher Studies which is open to non Eliasit students but where virtually all Eliasits are trained.
 
The Institure of Higher Studies is recognized throughout Kanjor as having the best Mathematics and Education departments in our nation. Most Eliasit graduates teach in our APC schools although some teach at the Institute, serve in other APC functions or teach in other institutions.
 
So to answer your question, most employed Eliasits actually are paid by funds provided by the Occidentalium Order which gratefully follows the arrangement we have with the government.  The Eliasits certainly  may grumble and wish it was otherwise.  On the whole we see them as excellent teachers.  Particularly in math.