High Pontiff Pontian IV
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Pontian IV (Common: Pontian IV; Flexio: Pontianus IV; Illatian: Ponziano IV), born as Adrian Helen Sarkozic, is the current head of the Church of the Canon. He has been High Pontiff since he was elected unanimously in 1886. Pontian is the fourth High Pontiff from House Sarkozic, the last being Bl. High Pontiff Clement II - who was well-known for his statesmenship and his efforts in unifying schismatics with the Church after three decades of division.
Early Life
Adrian Helen Sarkozic was born on the 2nd of Sun's Smile 1843 in Providence, the Capital City of the Holy Orenian Empire. He was the third youngest out of ten children born to Helena de Sarkozy and Demetriano d'Montelliano. Adrian had a relatively normal youth for his time. He found his vocation for the priesthood after becoming a ward of Fiodor of Freimark, who would later become the High Pontiff known as Tylos II in 1856.
Clerical Work
Adrian would become an ordained priest in 1861 and use his new occupation as an opportunity to repair the relations between Providence and the Canonist Church but would find little success with the irreligious urban population who had become disillusioned with the Church after uneasy tensions began during Everard VI's reign. With the lack of faith in Providence, Adrian's duties were increasingly difficult to perform as the urban population were not interested in hearing sermons from a priest representing the Church which they did not respect at this time. However, the effort that Adrian had put into his priestly duties was still acknowledged by the Church and in 1863 he would be elevated to the position of Archbishop of Albarosa and granted a seat on the College of Cardinals by Tylos II, his former mentor.
Reinvigorated by the trust placed in him, Adrian used his new position to focus on shepherding the faithful that inhabited the rest of the Empire, particularly in the rural regions. Three years later, Adrian would be appointed as the Prelate of the Clergy on the Curia, succeeding Father Philip de Rosius who had been a close friend of his mother in the past. In an attempt to encourage new priests, Adrian would attempt to streamline the process for an acolyte to reach ordination. It is unknown whether the streamlining process was ultimately helpful to attaining its initial goal, but it was successful in showing Adrian's dedication to his vocation. In 1882 after sixteen years of serving as Prelate, Adrian would be put forth as Vice-Chancellor of the Church by decree of the new High Pontiff Tylos III after the resignation of the previous Vice-Chancellor.
A year later, Tylos III would find himself in a horse-riding accident which resulted in a coma. This event gave the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor a significant opportunity to push forward his own agenda and display his merit. As a continuation of his previous work as Prelate, Adrian used his influence as de facto High Pontiff to institute the complete removal of the freeform thesis system of ordination, implementing an ecclesiastical exam that was intended to assess a priest-candidate's knowledge which further streamlined the process of acceptance given its ability to be mass-issued. The new system was well-received by clergy. Tylos III would wake up from his coma in 1885 and reassumed his duties shortly after before suddenly dying while holding a mass in Karosgrad in celebration of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska's 100th year of independence from the Empire. Following the High Pontiff's death, the position would be rendered into a state of Sede Vacante, beginning the process of election and enthronement. Two months after the proclamation, the Conclave consisting of the College of Cardinals would begin to elect the successor. After a unanimous vote consisting of four cardinals, Adrian would be elected the new High Pontiff taking on the regnal name, Pontian IV.
Pontificate of Pontian IV
W.I.P.
