SEVENTY DECLARATIONS

[MCVDK 2832]

THE UNIVERSAL PASTORAL LETTER IN SEVENTY DECLARATIONS:

CONCERNING THE RITE OF UNIVERSALITY, THE TRUE ORDER OF THE CHURCH, AND THE ABANDONMENT OF THE SCROLLS BY THE PONTIFICAL SEAT

 

In the Name of GOD, Singular, Omnipotent, and Most Merciful:

1. God, in creating the world and separating it from the Void, established natural law by His Word, so that no part of His creation would dwell in chaos, and so that man might have both order and purpose.

2. The Holy Church of the Canon stands not by the desire of princes nor by the ambitions of men, but by God’s decree as revealed in the Scrolls, where the Exalted received instruction from the Most High.

3. The Holy Scrolls, being the very breath of God through His Exalted, must remain unchanged and unimpaired, for “Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world.”

4. The Scrolls alone are the measure of the Church’s governance. All other decrees are secondary. The Scrolls must be read and preached in every place, for where they are hidden, error and heresy grow. No new scroll, no vision, no secret writing may annul the four Scrolls delivered to the Exalted. Any who claim otherwise speak as did Iblees in the time of Horen.

5. To reject any Scroll, whether Virtue, Spirit, Gospel, or Auspice, is to cast aside the crown of creation itself and to stand as one who blasphemes not merely word but the living will of God.

6. The Rite of Universality, founded in the Virtue and Spirit, binds all men under one Church; no tribe, race, or house stands apart from this singular and holy order. The Church, as commanded by God through His Exalted, is universal not in name alone but in function, serving all peoples equally beneath the mantle of the Scrolls.

7. As it is declared in the Canticle of Virtue: “The abundance of the spirit is never divided, but multiplied.” This abundance belongs to all who keep the law, not to the few who claim it by inheritance.

8. Let all remember that the first man and woman walked in Virtue without churches, without priests; it is the law of God that sanctifies in the foremost, not the structure.

9. As God breathed life into man, so too does He breathe life into the faithful through the Spirit and the Scrolls, not through indulgences or political favor.

10. Fidelity to the Scrolls is the true mark of unity in the Church; no office nor custom may contradict them.

11. Any Church hierarchy which contradicts the Scrolls ceases to be a vessel of the Virtue, becoming instead as the false temples of the pagans.

12. Where the Church is divided, it must be restored through return to the Scrolls, not through worldly compromise.

13. Ecclesiastical unity is not founded upon loyalty to any single seat or person, but upon shared reverence for the Virtue and the Scrolls, as all righteous paths are equal before the Lord God.

14. When the Pontiff errs, it is the duty of the Synod to correct him; when the Synod errs, the faithful must return to the Scrolls.

15. The office of High Pontiff is a charge to proclaim the Scrolls; all other powers are secondary and must not eclipse this holy mission.

16. The Synod of priests, gathered as one body in service of God, inherits its authority from the priesthood instituted by the brothers Evaristus and Clement, as written in the Scroll of Spirit.

17. The Synod of priests holds authority in times of necessity; this is a holy custom ordained by natural law and divine will.

18. Without Canon Law, the Church must return to the law laid out by God Himself in natural ordinance, wherein all ordained priests hold equal voice and duty in electing rightful leadership.

19. Cardinals hold their dignity through Canon Law, but when such law is abolished, their position dissolves into the general order of priests, holding no authority but that of the ordination common to all.

20. Let each Cardinal examine his loyalty; for in the absence of lawful Canon, it is through open proclamation of faithfulness to the Scrolls that a man’s communion with the true Church is known.

21. Clerical authority is not absolute; it is bound by fidelity to the Scrolls and the teaching of the Exalted.

22. Canonical offices are granted for the benefit of the faithful, not as titles of vain glory. As it is written: “You shall not judge your own virtue, be it great or small, for all fall short of Me.”

23. Clerical offices exist as burdens, not as honors. Let every priest remember that his service is to God first, and man second.

24. All who hold ecclesiastical office must renew their vows of service in the light of the Scrolls, lest they fall into self-service.

25. The priesthood is instituted as a ministry of service, not dominion; to rule as a worldly prince is to forget the humility of the Exalted.

26. The priesthood must renew its commitment to selfless service in every generation.

27. The priesthood must purify itself continually, for as it is taught in the Epistle to the Magi: “The Lord God is the Most Incomparable, and none can surpass Him.”

28. The primary duty of all priests is the instruction of the Scrolls and the guidance of souls. When this duty is neglected in favor of building worldly power, the Church betrays its own foundation.

29. Bishops and curates are bound under oath to uphold the Scrolls; failure in instruction or doctrine is counted as failure in the first estate.

30. Bishops must hold fast both to discipline and to mercy, walking always in the middle path as commanded in the Canticle of Temperance.

31. Let all clerics remember their own failings and be slow to judge others.

32. Clerics who refuse confession to the penitent without just cause violate the very nature of their office, which is to heal souls.

33. Let all clerics remember that their words hold weight only when they flow from the Scrolls; personal wisdom must bow before divine instruction.

34. As the Epistle to the Harrenites teaches: “No sin is hidden before God.” Therefore, confession must be true and without pretense, not corrupted by human invention.

35. When clerics impose penalties of their own invention, exceeding what is written in the Scrolls, they sin not only against man but against the order established by God Himself.

36. Let it be known that no man, even the High Pontiff, holds the authority to declare a soul lost where God has not so judged, as judgment belongs only to the Most High.

37. Forgiveness is a gift from God, given through sincere repentance and amendment of life, not through gold or transaction; any other teaching is false.

38. Indulgences, where given, are to be signs of intercessory prayer, not substitutes for true penance, lest the faithful mistake the symbol for the thing itself.

39. To sell the Spirit’s mercy is to trample upon the wealth of the Spirit, exchanging incorruptible treasure for corruptible coin, which is forbidden by both law and conscience.

40. The state of purgation, wherein souls are prepared for the Skies, is ordained by God’s mercy; it must not be used as pretext for worldly gain or clerical manipulation.

41. The Church’s duty is to pray for the dead, not to tax the living in their name; for as Exalted Owyn taught, “Holiness cannot be divided or sold.”

42. The wealth of the Church must serve not itself, but the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the stranger. To do otherwise is to violate the Canticle of Charity.

43. All wealth gathered by the Church must serve the poor first, and the instruction of the faithful second.

44. The treasures of the Church are not stone, nor marble, nor gold, but the gospel of grace and the witness of the Saints, which endure beyond all earthly things.

45. As commanded in the Canticle of Charity, “You shall not desire the wealth of this world, nor the wealth of others, but the wealth of the spirit.”

46. The burning of the Chair of Saint Daniel is not merely a loss of wood or cloth, but a sacred sign, for as the Scroll of Auspice teaches, the light shall be obscured thrice before men tread the sea in spiritual blindness.

47. The first obscuration was in the days of Horen’s fall, the second in the time of the Schism War; now the third stands before us, visible to all who have eyes to see and hearts to believe.

48. The destruction of relics such as the Chair of Saint Daniel symbolizes a deeper spiritual destruction: a breaking of communion with the spiritual inheritance of the Exalted and the Saints.

49. The burning of the Chair of Saint Daniel is a reminder that worldly splendor is temporary, but God’s Word endures.

50. Canonists must be taught that their measure in the Skies is determined by their practice of Virtue, not by their donations or social rank.

51. Canonists must be taught that peace without Virtue is false peace. As it is written: “Blessed are all those prophets who say to the people of God, ‘Cross, cross,’ and there is no cross.”

52. Canonists must be taught that faith must be accompanied by works: by charity, patience, temperance, diligence, fidelity, and humility.

53. Canonists must be taught to learn the Scrolls themselves, for no man is excused from knowing the law of God.

54. Canonists must not trust first in worldly offices, but in God’s mercy and their own steadfastness in Virtue.

55. Canonists must beware false visions and signs, for as the Scroll of Auspice warns, the Deceiver may take many forms.

56. Canonists must guard against false teachings, as the Scrolls warn: “Professing yourselves to be wise, you have made yourselves fools.”

57. Canonists must love the Spirit more than the form of the Church, remembering that outward structures are for the sake of inward truth.

58. Canonists must uphold charity, humility, and fidelity above all worldly honors and rewards.

59. Canonists must endure in Virtue even unto death, as the Exalted endured, for “through many tribulations shall you enter into heaven.”

60. Canonists must pray continually for the unity and purity of the Church, as a man prays for his own soul.

61. Suffering endured for the sake of Virtue is a sign of grace, not of abandonment. For as the Canticle of Patience teaches: “You shall know the trials of this theater of virtue, and know that they shall strengthen you.”

62. Suffering purifies, as fire purifies iron. Let no faithful soul despise the trials sent by God.

63. The example of the Exalted shows that tribulation and sacrifice are necessary paths to the Skies; therefore, Canonists must not seek comfort at the cost of truth.

64. The mercy of God is open to all, as the Rite of Universality proclaims. No race, tribe, or nation is excluded from salvation where the Virtue is kept.

65. Let all be reminded that “The Lord God is the greatest power.” No temporal force may stand against His will.

66. Synods must be convened in the open, with justice and order, not in secrecy or haste.

67. The Church must resist the temptation to act as a temporal empire, lest it forget its duty as the shepherd of souls.

68. Synods and councils must be convened with prayer, fasting, and solemnity, seeking not human advantage but divine wisdom.

69. Let this letter be proclaimed in all churches and assemblies, that all may hear and understand the true order of the Church and the nature of God’s law.

70. And so let all who hear or read these declarations hold fast in patience, diligence, and fidelity: striving always to enter into the Skies, not through false peace or worldly indulgence, but through steadfast adherence to the Holy Scrolls and the Rite of Universality.

 

In obedience to His Word, 

Father Lüdiger.

[littyfam 790]

Appended to some copies of the document, or else scribbled on its hindside or some other free space, was this commentary:

 

Pay heed, goodfellows of the Mother Church. There is naught but inspired truth here, derived of the Lord's Four Words. I proclaim accordance with these declarations of Fr. Lüdiger.

Fr. Theodorus Manfred

[MRCHENN 4741]

Over a cup of evening tea in Waldemer, Father Drusco shares this thesis with Archduke Roger. @Vikenz

 

“It seems many reflect my thesis on our Divine Mission: that the Holy Communion has been broken by sacrilege. I must meet with such another visionary.”

[Vikenz 1162]

Roger set his cup down and nodded slowly. 
“You speak truth, Cousin. The thread of the Holy Communion has indeed frayed,” he said, glancing toward the window. “If others are beginning to see it as you do, then perhaps it's time we speak plainly about where things stand.

@MRCHENN

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

A young Crow ponders over these declarations, having been brought to her by the hand of a leal friend of Korvacz. If nothing else, it only brought her further comfort. Perhaps those people of the Karoslund dwelled in foreign lands, but they had not been made subject to the complete dismissal of holy scripture and the rejection of her own Exalted ancestor. Her darkened eyes passed towards a statue, wrought in the image of that ancient Emperor. About his stony brow was sat a laurel, tucked beneath a chiseled arm was the Scroll of Auspice.

 

Perhaps many of those southerners and now-imperial Haeseni had forgotten, or traded away their faith for the promise of favor with their Emperor. Maya did not. The Heir of Sigismund deigned to keep the true worship of the Canon alive, even from their place in exile.

[Coronate 5519]

“So you want to secede from The Church?”

The Halfling Master Swordsman and soon to be Blue Whale Dragon Knight scoffed once. Lowering his head to the ground a shadow grew over it, his face dark until dimly illuminated by the glow of a single cigarette puff.

 

”Fine… I’ll have to secede your head from your body.” The Swordsman of Legend said, which all around to hear thought was super tuff 🥀 💔.

 

Then, as soon as he came the Master Swordsman turned and walked off, towards the sunset. 🔥 

 

 

[MailC3p 2405]

Spoiler

HOLY MARTIN LUTHER! 

 

[Cheese 8893]

48 minutes ago, MCVDK said:

11. Any Church hierarchy which contradicts the Scrolls ceases to be a vessel of the Virtue, becoming instead as the false temples of the pagans.

49 minutes ago, MCVDK said:

21. Clerical authority is not absolute; it is bound by fidelity to the Scrolls and the teaching of the Exalted.

 

50 minutes ago, MCVDK said:

36. Let it be known that no man, even the High Pontiff, holds the authority to declare a soul lost where God has not so judged, as judgment belongs only to the Most High.

 

"They said it out loud!" Amadea, a young woman of Sigismund, gasped. "...Are they allowed to say that out loud without getting excommunicated?"

[psychra_notte 618]

The young Korvacz, Kassandr, who had delivered the news to the Crow, scanned his copy of the Seventy Declarations. He was but a teen, and still learning the scrolls himself, yet the words of Father Lüdiger inspired hope in the boy. He had grown up surrounded by doubt and worry for the future of his people and their faith. Yet now he knew comfort, reading these Declarations in the dim candlelight of his room. Quietly, the boy prayed, 

"Oh Godanistan, blessed be vyr name, vyr flock sticks to vyr holy word, even in trepidation. Y beseech vy to continue to guide us in these troublesome times, so that moy may strengthen our virtue and faith in Vyr name. Amin."

[BlauRps 545]

Within his Mindscape, The Dawnservant and (soon-to-be) Enlightened Mind, pondered as he saw the Seventy Declarations fly around him like birds in an open sky, a smile fell upon his features as certain declarations caught his eye.

 

“It has taken my fellow brothers and sisters far too long to realize the world that we find ourselves in now…” He spoke to himself as he recollected the Seventy Declarations back onto a piece of parchment.

 

“Now, let us see how long it will take for them to realize that any Aenguls that descend from the Skies and teach The Holy Scrolls are nothing more then charlatans and false teachers… Auspices called for by The Deceiver to stray the flock from Light of GOD” 

 

He added before walking towards a door that appeared within his Mindscape, it was almost time to wake up and train… that and to teach his son a newly invigorated message!

[LithiumSedai 5750]

"Wow if only someone had warned them" is what Jean St. Godwin would have said if he could witness the Holy Throne do everything, down to the letter, which he said it would and for which he was excommunicated and murdered. Alas, he was long dead and only bitter winds now howled over the grave to which his own Church had sent him.