At the request of the Praetrix de Marestella, the highest authority of the legislative branch officially opens a debate that may have profound repercussions
Empyrean Temple, headquarters of the Aurorian Patriarchal Church in Auroria, Selucia
Silia Asprenas, former Praetrix of Marestella, announced it during her tour in Istalia. And now her succesor in the position, Batrunia Scada, has made it official: she has formally requested the Princeps Senatus, Cloelia Lombarda, to open the discussion in the Conference of Premiers, a meeting between the Praetors and the Rector every four years where they discuss territorial issues and other economical and social problems, to more foreign representatives interested in the issue. At the same time, Mrs. Scada has requested the Supreme Court of Selucia to express their veredict over the legality of the issue, and the report is expected to be released soon. Meanwhile the five Praetors and the Rector will supposedly discuss how to carry the the possible relocation of the headquarters of the most important branch of Hosianism, the Aurorian Church, which precisely has its historical roots in the First Council of Auroria in the year 533, with the modern Aurorian Church being founded in the Second Council of Auroria after the year 2154. In this way, the largest religious body in Terra could be forced to have to look for a new location, something that has ignited the anger of many of its representatives.
have been the words of a priest from Victoria, the capital of Insularia."This is an outrage"
"They talk about religious freedom while trying to expel us from the land that saw us being born, simply because they hate religion and are people full of hate"
Mrs. Scada, on the other hand, defends herself against the cascade of criticisms coming from the religious environment:
"This issue has nothing to do with whether we are religious or not, or what religion we follow. It has to do with the neutrality of the State, something that In Marea-Civis Sinistram has defended since its foundation. We are a completely secular party, and we will remain firm in our convictions that State and religion can not be together, so for some time we have been applying, always with the utmost respect for the religions that our citizens profess, this separation between both institutions, so we can achieve a more just, egalitarian and inclusive society. However, we do not believe that religious institutions represent religions, and while each one is free to profess the religion that best suits them, religious institutions are no more than an element that, taking advantage of people's beliefs, wants to use their influence to impose itself on others, we can not respect those institutions that do not respect basic concepts of equality, such as different sexual orientations, genders, or individual liberties such as abortion. And that is precisely why we do not want to have such an institution in Auroria. Because we believe that it does not represent the values of tolerance and respect that our nation has been trying to teach for centuries to the rest of the world, and therefore we must be demanding with ourselves to set an example to others. "
The decision of the Praetrix de Marestella has been supported by the other four regional leaders, who have refused to accept, if necessary, the religious headquarters in their territory. The five Praetors, elected new in the elections of 4580 to replace their more moderate predecessors, have expressed themselves in the same vein as Mrs. Scada.
said Dalius Kostos, former Princeps Senatus and new Praetor of Insularia taking over from Hegio Cyprias."This does not mean that we are going to expel the religion of our nation"
"We are going to respect the religious freedom of our citizens from the first moment, even though our opposition to religion is public knowledge. What we do not want to allow is that an institution that clashes with the republican principles of Selucia continues to have its headquarters in our nation "
The other three Praetors (Dalia Esplenida of Cor Patriae, Galena Asterotidia of Occidentria and Fausto Dipoidus of Oriensos) have refused to make any further statement on the issue, and Rector Mrs. Curmisia has not made any statement at all, although people close to her has expressed her outmost support to this action.
At the moment, it is unknown when or if this transfer will even take place, since the Praetors first want to wait to know about the legality of the matter, in the mouth of the Supreme Court, to subsequently carry out the vote that, predictably, will include a referendum called by the Rector. In any case, both the Praetors and the Rector have invited Heads of State and Government of other nations and religious institutions to share their opinion.