Regarding the Recognition of Wisdom within our ranks
From LanceaSanctum
An essay by Reverend Kaatje Van Dirae
The Ninth Canon, regarding the Recognition of Wisdom within our ranks, is quite straightforward in its wording. In a parish, the congregation of Sanctified are bound by faith to follow the wisest of their number. Wisdom is interpreted by Monachus as "he who most perfectly manifests his Damnation."
This, of course, leaves much room for interpretation.
As Damned, we are predators. A society of predators is not a meritocracy. I know a number of meritorious Sanctified who have the theological skills to lead a diocese, but lack the appropriate predatory instinct which would allow them to command -- through means fair or foul -- the obedience of the congregation.
The Ninth Canon does not speak upon relations between dioceses. It speaks only to who among the Sanctified shall lead within a diocese. Nor was it ever meant to keep dioceses in isolation from one another. In fact, the tradition of Synod stems from the Ninth Canon precisely because Bishops understood the importance of communication between diocese, and the importance of the collective wisdom of the leaders of the Sanctified. Synods were held precisely so that Bishops could periodically come together and meddle in each other's affairs -- such meddling is not always unwelcome.
Many Bishops in these current nights spend a great deal of time and energy quoting the Ninth Canon to individuals who are perceived to be meddling in the affairs of a diocese in which they do not reside. The Ninth Canon is no protection. If you do not wish people to meddle in the affairs of your diocese, you must muster the necessary social, political, and physical resources to keep them out of your affairs. And if you cannot, then you cannot, and quoting the Ninth Canon in order to appeal to their sense of tradition is merely wasting time better spent cultivating alliances.
Within a diocese, a Bishop retains his title until such time as he concedes he is no longer Bishop (or until he is removed from the diocese indefinitely). If one declares "I am Bishop" and there is none who say "nay," then lo, he is Bishop.
If one declares "I am Bishop" and there is even one who says "nay, I am Bishop," then is the Bishopric placed in contention. There is nothing in the Ninth Canon to mandate which claimant shall be recognized by other diocese: the Ninth Canon only addresses which claimant shall be recognized by the Sanctified within the diocese, and it is that claimant left last standing when all the "nays" have been silenced, for it is that claimant who has proved his wisdom and who has -- in the greatest tradition of predators -- proven his Damnation and superior skill over his opponents.
That Bishop must then command the obedience of the congregation. There are Bishops who are unchallenged in their claim, yet who are unable to command the respect and obedience of their congregation. This makes them no less a Bishop, though fellow Sanctified who learn of his inadequacies are likely to view him with lower regard. They may even work towards replacing him as Bishop, shoring up the power of another member of the congregation until he is ready to challenge for the title or counseling him on the Bishop's weaknesses. This is, by the most literal reading, a violation of the Ninth Canon. However, again, it falls to the Bishop to enforce the Ninth Canon and to prevent such outside meddling.
Then too, those Bishops often find themselves bereft of assistance in times of need, for they have sufficiently isolated their domains that none are willing to "breach the Ninth Canon" by sending aid and succor in times of need. As Cardinal de la Cruz so succinctly summarized: The Ninth Canon cuts both ways.
Therefore, Bishops of the Lancea Sanctum, until a Sanctified enters your diocese and challenges your right to bear the title of Bishop, the Ninth Canon is merely a rhetorical defense, which carries no weight of action behind it.
If you think there have been violations of the Ninth Canon by a member of the Sanctified who is not in your diocese, there are multiple avenues for dealing with him. If you think the violations are sufficiently grave as to warrant holding him accountable before the covenant as a whole, call for Synod or convince another Bishop to call for Synod, or call for rencontre.
But simply telling a member of the Sanctified that he is violating the Ninth Canon, or interpreting it incorrectly....those are merely words, and they will remain merely words until such time as they are backed with action.
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