The Church of Fusan
The
Church of Fusan, officially referred to as the
Fusanese Holy Catholic Church (扶桑聖公会,
Fusō Seikōkai) (FSKK) and occasionally referred to as the Miacean Catholic Church (MCF), is the established Christian church in Fusan and Tsukishima. It is among the largest branches of Christianity, thanks in large part to followers in Fusan and Kalasin who, combined, number approximately 131.2 million as of 2024. Though it emerged around the same time as many Protestant movements throughout Mundus, the Church does not consider itself to be protestant, a label which is generally accepted around the world. Rather, it sees itself as more of a separate branch which diverged from the Celestial Catholic Church over a combination of political and theological differences separate from the reformation. Indeed, while many churches have organized themselves under an Episcopal governance, the Miacean Church resembles the Church in Celestis to a far greater degree, with the "Patriarch of Tenkyo", an office currently held by Patriarch Fumio Unoki, serving in a role much akin to that of the Pope, although his authority is considerably weaker by comparison.
Structure The Fusanese Holy Catholic is governed according to episcopal polity with its own system of canon law. This means that the church is organized into dioceses led by bishops in consultation with the diocesan synods. It is a unitary body, in that the power of the General Synod is not limited by the individual dioceses, although the church has a somewhat decentralized structure. With regard to its jurisdiction, the Patriarch has direct authority over the Province of Tenkyo, while other Provinces, both within Fusan and without, are typically led by an Archbishop. In cases where there are multiple archbishops within a country, the senior-most Archbishop will serve as the Church's representative within the country. In Fusan, the Church's jurisdiction encompasses Mainland Fusan and the so-called "outer islands", which encompass the Amami and Tokara island chains., as well as a few parishes in Maniwa and Hidaka in Hokuriku which voted to remain within the Province of Shinkyo rather than joining the autonomous province of Hokuriku. The provinces of Tsukishima and Hokuriku were granted greater autonomy in 1912 and 1948, respectively, and and are viewed as autonomous churches within the Miacean Communion, with their own rules regarding the priesthood, though not with independent church doctrine. The church is structured as follows (from the lowest level upwards):
‣ Parishes are the most local level, often consisting of one church building (a parish church) and community, although many parishes have joined together in a variety of ways for financial reasons. The parish is looked after by a parish priest who, for historical or legal reasons, may be called one of the following offices: vicar, rector, priest-in-charge, team rector or team vicar. The first, second, fourth and fifth of these may also be known as the 'incumbent'. The running of the parish is the joint responsibility of the incumbent and the parochial church council (PCC), which consists of the parish clergy and elected representatives from the congregation.
‣ There are a number of local churches that do not have a parish. In urban areas, there are a number of proprietary chapels (mostly built in the 19th century to cope with urbanisation and a growing population). Also, in more recent years there are increasingly church plants and fresh expressions of church, whereby new congregations are planted in locations such as schools or bars to spread the Gospel of Christ in non-traditional ways.
‣ Deanery,
e.g., Kora or Toban. This is the area for which a Rural Dean is responsible. It consists of a number of parishes in a particular district. The rural dean is usually the incumbent of one of the constituent parishes. The parishes each elect lay representatives to the deanery synod. Deanery synod members each have a vote in the election of representatives to the diocesan synod.
‣ Archdeaconry,
e.g., Hokusei, Nayoro, or Kamisu. This is the area under the jurisdiction of an archdeacon. It consists of a number of deaneries.
‣ Diocese,
i.e., Diocese of Hatsukaichi, Diocese of Yaizu, Diocese of Awara. This is the area under the jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop,
e.g., the bishops of Hatsukaichi, Yaizu and Awara, and will have a cathedral. There may be one or more suffragan bishops within the diocese who assist the diocesan bishop in his ministry,
e.g., in Awara diocese, the Bishop of Taguro. In some very large dioceses a legal measure has been enacted to create "episcopal areas", where the diocesan bishop runs one such area himself and appoints "area bishops" to run the other areas as mini-dioceses, legally delegating many of his powers to the area bishops. Dioceses with episcopal areas include Shinkyo, Otsu, Isen and Okayama. The bishops work with an elected body of lay and ordained representatives, known as the Diocesan Synod, to run the diocese. A diocese is subdivided into a number of archdeaconries.
‣ Province,
i.e., Tenkyo, Shinkyo or Awara. This is the area under the jurisdiction of an archbishop,
i.e. the Patriarch of Tenkyo and the Archbishops of Shinkyo and Awara. Decision-making within the province is the responsibility of the General Synod. A province is subdivided into dioceses.
‣ Primacy,
i.e., the Church of Fusan. Among his titles, the Patriarch of Tenkyo is termed "Primate of Fusan", possessing through that title powers that extend over the whole of mainland Fusan, including Hokuriku. For example, through his Faculty Office, he may grant a "special marriage license" permitting the parties to marry otherwise than in a church: for example, in a school, college or university chapel; or anywhere, if one of the parties to the intended marriage is in danger of imminent death.
‣ Imperial Peculiar, a small number of churches which are more closely associated with the Throne and a very few more closely associated with the law which, although conforming to the rites of the Church, are outside episcopal jurisdiction.
The Patriarch of Tenkyo The Patriarch of Tenkyo is the most senior bishop of the Church of Fusan, serving as the metropolitan of the western province of Fusan, the Province of Tenkyo. He further has the status of Primate of Fusan and is the focus of unity for the worldwide Miacean Communion, serving in much a similar role to the Celestial Catholic Pope and being recognized as primus inter pares, or first among equals, within the worldwide communion. The Patriarch is elected by the Grand Synod, a body which functions much like the College of Cardinals and which is composed of the diocesan bishops from across the communion, although those who are above the age of 75 lose the right to vote; throughout the history of the Church, the Patriarch has always been from Fusan, though records do show that on occasion, “foreigners” have nearly won on occasion. Upon his election, the new Patriarch is formally appointed by the Emperor, a relic of the church’s early history, though in practice this “appointment” is merely a ceremony, and the Emperor has no legal grounds to reject the new Patriarch. While resignation is permitted, the majority of Patriarchs have served until their deaths.
Diocesan Bishops and Representative Bodies The appointment of bishops in the Church of Fusan, much as in other churches governed by episcopal polity, is a complicated process. Outgoing bishops, neighboring bishops, the faithful, various members of the General Synod, and the patriarch all have a role in the selection. The exact process varies based on a number of factors, including whether the bishop is from the Fusanese church or an autonomous province, the geographic location of the diocese, what office the candidate is being chosen to fill, and whether the candidate has previously been ordained to the episcopate. This is a relatively new practice, as prior to 1854, the Emperor, acting through his shogun, would play a direct role in the appointment of bishops, though to what degree varied throughout the centuries.
The Church of Fusan has a legislative body, the General Synod. This can create two types of legislation, measures and canons. Due to the Church of Fusan being the established church of Fusan, measures have to be approved—though cannot be amended by—the Imperial Diet before receiving imperial assent and becoming part of the law of Fusan. Canons, by contrast, do not require imperial assent nor the vote of the Imperial Diet, forming the law of the church rather than the law of the land. The Synod is made up of three houses, those being the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy, and the House of Laity.
The House of Bishops is made up of the 26 diocesan bishops in the Province of Tenkyo, the 17 diocesan bishops of the Province of Shinkyo, the 9 diocesan bishops of the Province of Awara, the Bishop of Shinosen (who functions as diocesan bishop of Tenkyo, in the Province of Tenkyo), and twelve other suffragan bishops (five from Tenkyo, four from Shinkyo and three from Awara) elected by all suffragan bishops. It is further made up of members of dioceses located outside of Fusan proper.
The House of Clergy comprises clergy elected from the following:
‣ 144 from the dioceses of the Province of Tenkyo,
‣ 72 from the dioceses of the Province of Shinkyo,
‣ 46 from the dioceses of the Province of Awara,
‣ 6 from among clergy teaching in theological colleges,
‣ 8 deans elected from cathedrals,
‣ the 5 principle Miacean chaplains (and archdeacons) of the Armed Forces, plus the Chaplain-General of Prisons (and Archdeacon), and
‣ 4 members of religious communities
Members of the House of Laity are elected by lay members of the Deanery Synod in each Diocese every five years by a system of single transferable vote. They are:
‣ up to 190 members elected by the laity of the Province of Tenkyo,
‣ up to 120 members elected by the laity of the Province of Shinkyo,
‣ up to 80 members elected by the laity of the Province of Awara,
‣ the Dean of the Ecclesiastical Court,
‣ the Vicars-General of the Provinces of Tenkyo, Shinkyo and Awara,
‣ the four Church Estate Commissioners,
‣ the Chairman of the Board of Finance,
‣ the Chairman of the Board of Pensions,
‣ the members of the Archbishop's Council who are communicants of the Church of Fusan.
The General Synod, alongside passing measures and canons, functions to approve the liturgy and make other rules through Acts of Synod, regulate relations with other churches, consider and express their opinion on any matters of religious or public interest, and to approve or reject the annual budget of the church. Measures or canons must be passed by a majority of the members of each house of the synod. Most other business can be passed by a majority of the members of the synod overall. However, changes to church doctrine, rites and ceremonies, or the administration of the sacraments can only be made in the form agreed by the House of Bishops. Also, changes in the services of Baptism or Holy Communion, as well as proposals for union with any other church, cannot be approved unless they have also been approved by a majority of the diocesan synods.
Ordained ministry: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate Men become bishops, priests or deacons through the sacrament of Holy Orders. Candidates to the priesthood must have a college degree in addition to another four years of theological training, including pastoral theology. The Miacean Church, following the example of Christ and the Apostolic tradition, only ordains males. The church teaches that, apart from ministry reserved for priests, women should participate in all aspects in the church’s life and ministry. The bishops are believed to possess the fullness of Miacean priesthood; priests and deacons participate in the ministry of the bishop. As a body, the House of Bishops are considered the successors of the Apostles. The patriarch, primates, archbishops and metropolitans are all bishops and members of the Miacean Church episcopate or House of Bishops. Only bishops can perform the sacrament of holy orders. Many bishops head a diocese, which is divided into parishes. A parish is usually staffed by at least one priest. Beyond their pastoral activity, a priest may perform other functions, including study, research, teaching or office work. They may also be rectors or chaplains. Permanent deacons, those who do not seek priestly ordination, preach and teach. They may also baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness mariages, and conduct wake and funeral services. Candidates for the diaconate go through a diaconate formation program and must meet minimum standards set by the bishops’ conference in their home country or, in the case of Fusan, the general synod. Upon completion of their formation program and acceptance by the local bishop, candidates receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. As of 2025, there is an ongoing commission formed by the Patriarch of Tenkyo to determine whether ordaining women as deacons should be revived. This would include the deacon’s role of preaching at the Eucharist
While deacons may be married, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Church of Fusan, although protestant clergy who have converted to the Miacean Church are sometimes exempt from this rule, albeit on the condition that they are not to remarry. It should be noted that the Miacean Church, rather curiously, does not prohibit the ordination of men with “homosexual desires”, although it is general practice for them to only be ordained as deacons after three years of prayer and chastity, a matter shared with men with other lustful desires of a heterosexual nature.
Apostolic Succession Apostolic succession is the belief that the patriarch and Miacean bishops are the spiritual successors of the original twelve apostles, through a historically unbroken chain of consecration. The patriarch is the spiritual head and leader of the Miacean Church who makes use of the General Synod to assist him in governing. He is elected by a Grand Synod of the Miacean bishops, who may choose from any male member of the church but who must be ordained a bishop before taking office. The New Testament contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity, and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the Church to decide what was true doctrine. The Miacean Church believes itself to be a continuation of those who remained faithful to the apostolic leadership and rejected false teachings, having split from the Church in Celestis in 1556 on a mix of political and theological grounds (echoing but not following the wider reformation as the Miacean Church has historically claimed its separation as more akin to the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches). Miacean belief is that the true Church will never defect from the truth, and bases this on Jesus’ telling Peter “the gates of hell will not prevail against” the Church. In the Gospel of John, Jesus states, I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” It is worth noting that, despite its schism with the church in Celestis, the two churches have historically recognized each other’s orders as valid, but illicit.
