Patriarch

Patriarch
The Patriarch presiding over the Great Synod in 2061
Name	Patriarch
Full title	████████████████████████
Office held	Supreme ecclesiastical authority and constitutional head of state of Santa Berllium
Institution	Church of Mark
Predecessor	Anselmar
Successor	█nknown
First appearance	1873
Current officeholder	Mark
Selection method	Election by the Chorus of Wives
Hereditary	No

Patriarch is the highest-ranking office within the Church of Mark, serving as the supreme ecclesiastical authority and the constitutional head of state of the theocratic nation of Santa Berllium. The holder of this office presides over doctrine, canon law, and the internal hierarchy of the Church, while also wielding significant influence over military strategy and foreign policy. The Church teaches Mark was born c. 1061; the historical record shows the name "Mark" at the head of the Church since 1873. The position is not hereditary; instead, each new patriarch is chosen for resemblance and trained to match the persona. The present Mark (born c. 2001) took the name in 2042 after the fall of Anselmar; he is the ninth man to hold the title. The historical record shows the name "Mark" at the head of the Church since 1873, borne by a succession of men, of whom the present one is the ninth. The Church holds that Mark is a thousand years old; the historical record shows the name "Mark" at the head of the Church since 1873, borne by a succession of men. The office remains central to Santa Berllium's identity, acting as the nexus between religious faith and civil governance in a world increasingly divided by conflict and moral crisis.

The office of Patriarch carries immense spiritual weight within the Church of Mark, which governs the interior

• Church of Mark
• Santa Berllium
• Chorus of Wives