Sanguis Astroism/Charter/Helm's Proposal

Purpose

Here is my second draft of the promised reforms. I've taken note of the advice to not make the Regent too powerful, and to ensure that there are enough priests in the Elder Council, so I've removed any items that do this in the proposal. The net affect is to put in the Justiciars as safeguards from abuse & usurpers, and also to make the council itself more powerful by insuring that all major decisions must be voted and passed by the council. Thus the Council is supreme, all decisions are collective, and the Justiciars make sure that the council follows the charter:

Changes to the Elder Council:

(A) Two Justiciars of the Elder Council - They hold the highest rank in the church. They are appointed by a previous Justiciar before he/she steps down. At least one of them must be a priest to preserve the priestly/secular balance in the Elder Council. A Justiciar must be a mature, responsible, fair, active and intelligent individual. The Justiciars must be above church politics and so cannot vote in Elder Council or openly support any candidate for the Elder Council or any faction in the church. However they have full rights to speak out and give advice in council. They manage all appointments and Ranks, call and count elections, and are responsible for making sure the charter is followed. Only the Justiciars are allowed to amend the charter with changes approved by the Elder Council. If any Elder, up to and including the Regent, does not obey the charter, then the justiciars can demote him down to any rank, if necessary holding fresh elections to replace him. Any church member can petition a justiciar about infringement of the charter or if they want a change in their rank. The justiciars are there to keep the Council honest and stop usurpers from seizing power.

There will be no other changes to the elders.

The net result will be 13 voting roles (1 Regent, 3 Lights, 3 luminaries, 3 Consuls, 3 Archons) as at present. Plus several non voting roles (2 Justiciars, and any Magistrates or Special Representatives).

Voting, and Occasions when a vote is mandatory:

- The General principle we will follow is that The Elder Council is supreme and all important decisions must be collective. Most decisions of the Regent can be implemented by a simple instruction or discussion in Elder council, but the most important decisions require a formal vote. A vote can be initiated by any voting Elder, and must be seconded by another before it can take place. All votes require an absolute 2/3rds majority of Elders in order to be passed. With 13 potential votes this means that it takes at least 9 votes for a vote to be successful. Below is a list of those decisions that always require a vote:

1. A Change to the Charter.

2. Admitting a new theocracy into the Elder Council - This is not automatic and must be voted on to avoid various abuses.

3. Vote of No Confidence - Any Elder (Except a justiciar or Archon) may be removed from the Council by a vote of No Confidence held by the Elders. Even the Regent may be removed. The reason can be as simple as being ineffective or inactive. Out of respect, the Elder should be given a chance to step down voluntarily first.

4. Excommunication (Expulsion from church) - each case must be voted for individually so that there can be no mass excommunications. There are many possible causes for excommunication, for example heresy, treachery against the church, even abusive conduct. The important thing is that the cause must be very serious, and the perpetrator must be unrepentant. It is up to the judgment of the council as to how serious the crime is and how sincere any repentance is. some crimes may be so serious as to be beyond forgiveness.

5. Annullment of an Excommunication - The Council may vote to annul a previous excommunication if they decide that the individual has shown signs of repentance & reformation, or if the decide that the excommunication itself was unjustified.

6. Crusade - This can only be declared in defence of the church or a Theocracy of SA. It should only be used in the most serious cases where there is a persistent and gross attack on the church or a theocracy. Once a crusade is called, it is mandatory for all believers and theocracies to support it.

7. Sanctioned Conflict - Where the church wants to show its approval of a military conflict, then it may declare it a church Sanctioned Conflict. This means that believers and theocracies are encouraged to aid it, but are not required to do so.

8. End of Crusade or Sanctioned Conflict.

Other Changes

(A)The department of the inquisition will be closed. I believe its divisive to have a department dedicated to rooting out people. From now on, the council will vote directly on any case of excommunication without need of a special department for this.

(B) The Light of maddening will no longer be able to decide if a crusade occurs. Like any other important decision this will be decided by a vote of the whole council.