It was Pope Leo XXXV who opposed the rise of The Emperor, forever tying the Church to Chaos in his eyes. The papacy’s central power and moral authority kept many from opening their hearts to his alternative teachings. The leaders of the other world religions were cowed and easy to control.
With the fall of the One World Government, The Emperor set about dismantling the Church. The Emperor’s militia entered Vatican City and summarily executed the Pope in front of shocked onlookers, before burning the city-state to the ground. Priests and bishops were murdered everywhere they could be found throughout the planet.
But the faith proved difficult to eradicate. Its zealots were happy to die for their faith. New converts kept coming.
It lingered on, underground.
And every now and then in his millions of worlds, one is lost to the faith. At times, they even join together to offer an alternative future to Humanity.
He knows that the disease must be cleansed.
If you ever come across a representative of the Church, they must be reported to the authorities immediately. They are considered the greatest threat to the Empire, facing immediate termination.
