Roman Clergy

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The skyline of Rome.

The Roman Clergy is a group which was responsible for running the Temple and all religion-related matters in Rome. It consisted of priests and priestesses, split between five groups under the leadership of Chief Priests and Priestesses, all working under a chosen Pontifex Maximus. They were known as the Religion faction, one of the three pillars of Rome. Acting as the messengers of the gods, they were one of the main players in the conflict between gods and heretic forces.

Structure

At the head of all Clergy, there is a Pontifex Maximus. This is the person who has supreme authority, interprets the will of the gods, and leads all religious matters.

Under the Pontifex Maximus serve the Pontifices Maiores, also known as Chief Priests and Priestesses. They are each the head of five groups into which Ministeria Sacra (also known as Clergy) are divided.

Pontifices Maximus

Name	Player	Status
Pontifex Beneminius Fulminii	Benji_Button	Dead
Pontifex Alba Verus Kaine	dataframes	Abdicated
Pontifex Astra Vera Sol	alltiera	Abdicated

Pontifices Maiores

Name	Title	Player	Status
Cinna Lucretia Cento	Pontifex Caeli	whim5y	Current
Alba Verus Kaine	Pontifex Populi	dataframes	Abdicated
Astra Vera Sol	Pontifex Sacrorum	alltiera	Abdicated
Aster	Pontifex Memoriae	Isel440	Abdicated
Donutella Vinarius	Pontifex Rituum	Donutxlla	Dead
Jianna	Pontifex Populi	Roses_Of_Ji	Current
Nefarius Umbrum Porpus	Pontifex Sacrorum	TheSexyCanadian	Current

Ministeria Sacra

Group	Leader	Role
Augures	Pontifex Caeli	Interpret omens and signs from the natural world.
Sacerdotes	Pontifex Populi	Carry out rituals and religious ceremonies.
Aeditui	Pontifex Sacrorum	Maintain temples and sacred grounds.
Scribae	Pontifex Memoriae	Record events, omens, and official decrees.
Acolytes	Pontifex Rituum	Assist priests and learn the duties of the temple.

The Temple of Jupiter.

Clerical Duties

The Clergy were responsible for the important task of maintaining the relationship of Roman citizens with their gods. They attended to the temples, making sure they were clean, well-maintained, properly decorated to fit the chosen gods, and, most importantly, safe. They crafted altars to the gods, blessed homes, and helped any citizens who wanted to properly pray and worship. More than once, clergy members have also officiated weddings. They walked amongst the citizens and shared the will and grace of the gods, inspiring people to worship the gods at their own homes too. They offered their services to anyone who wanted help with making a shrine to the gods, conducting a ritual to praise them, or wanted to make proper offerings to the divine. Not to mention, an official Prayer Guide has been prepared for the public by the College of Pontiffs, with simple prayers that citizens could use to communicate with the divine daily or in times of need.

The Ludi Romanii was a publicly-held event, headed by Pontifex Populi Alba Verus Kaine for the faith of the Roman populace. At the event, there was opportunity for citizens to partake in public and group prayer, horse racing, merchant booths, and food and drink provided and funded by the other chief priests.

It was also their duty to make sure that the gods were happy by making sacrifices at the altars and reading the natural signs sent to them. As the heretic cults started appearing, the Clergy also became responsible for stamping them out.

The College of Pontiffs prepared an official registry of The Roman Pantheon recognised by the Temple as the deities who were true gods of Rome, and should be worshipped by the masses, as to avoid any confusion. Many heretic hunts were organised, headed by Pontifex Caeli Cinna Lucretia Cento and Pontifex Rituum Donutella Vinarius, as well as shifts at the temples led by Pontifex Sacrorum Astra Vera Sol (later succeeded by Nefarius Umbrum Porpus) to make sure the altars to Roman gods didn't get desecrated by the heretics.

In the face of the conflict brewing in Rome, both human and divine, Clergy stood at the front lines of the divine conflict, doing their best to sway the favour towards their gods and save the citizens of Rome from impending doom as well as the lies of heretic forces.