Saint Uriel

Saint Uriel

Flag of Saint Uriel
Motto: Crux Sacra sit mihi Lux, Non Draco sit mihi Dux
[1]
Region	Catholicity
Capital	Urbis Santa Maria
Official Language(s)	Latin (Vulgata)
Leader	Sacred Chancellor Ignatius LeClair
Population	300 - 600 million
Currency	The Sancta
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The Holy Republic of Saint Uriel is an archipelago in Catholicity. It is a small, economically underdeveloped, but compassionate nation. Roman Catholicism is the state religion and the backbone of the nation's charter. Over 98% of Saint Uriel's population list Roman Catholicism as their religion. The UN classifies Saint Uriel as a Democractic Socialist state. Saint Uriel's currency is the sancta and the national animal is the dove.

Geography

Located near the equator, Saint Uriel is an archipelago of four islands named after the four archangels, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, St. Michael, and St. Uriel. St. Uriel is by far the largest island. All four islands are mainly covered by lush forests and clear lagoons. The islands of St. Gabriel and St. Uriel are connected via a man-made bridge, allowable due to their close proximity. Travel between the other islands is only possible via sea or air. The capital city, Urbis Santa Maria, is located in a natural harbor on St. Uriel island. The only major river is the Argentus Flumi that bisects St. Uriel island.

Flag and Crest

The flag and crest of Saint Uriel is a modified medal of St. Benedict. At the top of the cross is the Latin word for peace, Pax. Along the arms of the cross are the first letters of each word of the motto Crux Sacra sit mihi Lux, Non Draco sit mihi Dux or "May the Sacred Cross be my Light, the Dragon (Satan) shall not be my guide".

History

The Holy Republic of Saint Uriel was founded on September 29th, 1967, through a Papal charter by His Holiness Pope Paul VI. The islands, which had no known native inhabitants, were settled by a large group of mainly Italian, French, American, Canadian, Spanish, and German immigrants. Since then, the Saint Urielians have focused mainly on harnessing their natural resources, absorbing large number of immigrants, and attempting to develop their upstart economy.

Language

Saint Uriel's only official language is Latin. The vulgate (common or Church Latin) form is most often used. Latin is the language of state, business, and education in Saint Uriel, although many immigrants speak their native languages at home. Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Latin is one of the requirements for naturalisation as a Saint Urielian citizen.

Governmental Structure

Charter

The governmental structure and function of Saint Uriel is set out not in a constitution, but in the Papal Charter of 1967 that established the state. The Charter is a static document and may not be amended by any popular, judicial, or legislative action - only by the Holy Father himself. It is quite short and mainly sets out the basic political structure and a few inviolate laws.

Leaders

The head of state is the Pope, currently His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The head of government and commander-in-chief of the Saint Uriel Defense Force is the Sacred Chancellor, an office currently held by Ignatius Cardinal LeClair.

The Sacred Chancellor is the public face of Saint Uriel and appoints all the prefects (ministers) of the various government departments. He serves a term of 10 years, with no reelection option, but the full term is rarely carried out due to death or the infirmaments of age. The Sacred Chancellor is elected by the general population and must be ordained at the level of bishop or higher. All treaties or alliance to which Saint Uriel is a party must be signed by the Sacred Chancellor.

Voting and Citizenship

Sufferage is universal for all citizens age 17 years or older, with voting being voluntary. Votes are conducted through secret ballot and are monitored by non-partisan groups. Citizenship is automatically granted to anyone born in Saint Uriel, anyone whose parents are both Saint Urielian citizens, or anyone who sucessfully completes the naturalisation process.

Parliament

The legislative body is the Saint Urielian parliament. It is composed of two houses, the Vox Populi, comprised of common citizens, and the Apostolate, made up of ordained men. Each house contains 100 members for 5 year terms, elected by the public at large. Although legislation may originate in either house, for legislation to pass, it must be approved by a simple majority in both houses, though this is rarely a problem. The Sacred Chancellor has a vote in both houses as a tie breaker, but he does not have veto power. Veto Power is reserved for the Holy Father alone. The parliament also serves to confirm or deny the Sacred Chancellor's appointment of prefects. There are about 20 major political parties in the parliament at any given time, although it is very rare for any one party to have power. The parties frequently form coalitions around issues on which they agree.

Prefects

There are currently 6 prefectures within the Saint Urielian government - education, structures, trade, environmental protection, foreign affairs, and health. Although each prefecture may have subdivisions, many parts of the government, such as the judiciary and military, are largely autonomous. This keeps the central government small, as St. Urielians seem to prefer it. A prefect is appointed for a term of 10 years by the Sacred Chancellor. The appointment must be confirmed by both parliamentary houses. A prefect may be male or female, lay or ordained, and may be of any (or no) religion. The prefects currently holding office are:

• Prefect of Education - Maria Constanus - 2nd generation Greek, former school teacher

• Prefect of Trade - Zachary McAndrews - 2nd generation Irish, businessman

• Prefect of Health - Dr. Gideon Rourke, MD - 1st generation American immigrant, infectious diseases specialist

• Prefect of Environmental Protection - Dr. Amelie des Jardin, PhD - 2nd generation French, ecologist

• Prefect of Foreign Affairs - Augustus Cassopa - 1st generation Italian immigrant, extensive diplomatic background

• Prefect of Structures - Isaac Schnelling - 2nd generation German, extensive background in infrastructure planning and support

Judicial System

The judiciary is comprised of 4 regional lower courts on each island, and the Iudicus Primus located in Urbis Santa Maria. Regional court judges may be laity or ordained, with no restrictions on gender. As for the 7 judges of the Iudicus Primus (IP), 3 spaces are reserved for ordained persons of the rank of bishop or higher and 4 spaces are reserved for the laity. Women are permitted to serve in lay positions in the IP. IP judges are elected by the general population for terms of 7 years each. Saint Uriel is notable because the penal system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment, with incarceration only used when society must be protected from a violent individual. A juvenille court system exists for those offenders under 17. Capital punishment is banned in Saint Uriel's Charter.

While the Saint Uriel juducial system does not involve itself in cases of heresy, excommunication, or defrocking of priests (those are handled through canon law at the Vatican), there are stiffer civil penalties for offenses against the Church. For example, desecrating a crucifix would result in a larger fine than simple property damage.

Defense and Law Enforcement

The Saint Uriel Defense Force, SUDF, is the only military organisation in the nation. Membership is open to anyone of either gender, at least 17 years of age, and is voluntary. The SUDF has never had any armed encounters and functions mainly as an internal and external relief organisation in the event of natural disasters. The commandant of the SUDF, currently Gen. Wilhelm Gracer, must be a practicing and confirmed Roman Catholic, either laity or ordained. Each of the 4 islands has its own separate police force. Urbis Santa Maria also possesses a separate metropolitan police force.

The flag of the SUDF, below, was designed by Sober Thought and represents the flaming hand of St. Uriel, the archangel. The hand aflame is on a shield with the colours of the Holy See.

A small, elite guard group known as the Janessary is responsible for the personal protection of the Sacred Chancellor and visiting dignitaries. The current commander, Lt. Col. Pablo Santini, was a former commander with the Italian special forces. Although Saint Uriel has acknowledged the existence of the Janessary, not much else is known about them.

Economy

Saint Uriel has a developing economy which is in the process of moving from the agrarian to the industrial. The fertile volcanic soil provides excellent agricultural products such as hay, bamboo, citrus fruits, cocoanuts, chocolate, and wine. Being an island nation, there is a large fishing and shipping industry. There are also newly discovered uranium deposits whose trade is currently being negotiated. Pharmaceuticals is a growing export sector. The largest industry by far in Saint Uriel is automotive manufacture, but ironically, Saint Uriel must depend almost completely on imports for its steel and petroleum needs.

At present, Saint Uriel possesses approximately 150 million Kr in bearer bonds from the Royal Land Trusts of New Crawfordland and New Knotoss. This is a significant investment on the part of an economy as small as Saint Uriel's.

Alliances

Diplomacy

The diplomatic philosophy of Saint Uriel has been characterized as naive by outside observers. Embassy exchange and formal diplomatic relations can be established with any nation that requests it. Furthermore, Saint Uriel has a long standing, though unofficial, policy of delivering disaster relief or medical assistance to anyone at any time for any reason. Orders for formal diplomatic relations are not approved by parliament, but must be signed by the Sacred Chancellor and are subject to veto by the Holy Father. Most actual diplomatic relations are handled through the trade prefecture or the health prefecture (for cases of disaster relief or other emergency aid). Although not commonly admitted, the foreign affairs prefecture only handles situations that have potential national defense repurcussions. There have been no such events to date.

The streets of Via St. Augustine and Via St. Helene make up the diplomatic quarter in Urbis Saint Maria. Following are the locations of the embassies that are currently established:

• Embassy of The Federation of Yugoslavitania: No. 3 Via St Helene

• Embassy of The Nomadic Peoples of Franco-Philia: No. 3 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Kingdom of Auralinia: No. 19 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Empire of Xeraph: No. 26 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Empire of Calpe: No. 31 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Empire of The Golden Throne of The Macabees: No. 39 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Dominion of Cobdenia: No. 42 Via St Augustine, Cobdenian ambassador HE Mr Bartholomew Barrington-Barrington

• Embassy of The Dominion of Theao: No. 46 Via St Augustine

• Embassy of The Constitutional Monarchy of Empryia: No. 48 Via St Augustine

Trade

Saint Uriel's charter allows for trade with any nation if certain conditions are met. First, the proposed trade partner must not be internationally recognized as an aggressor nation in armed conflicts. Secondly, the nation in question must not be seeking Saint Urielian products or materials to use in an act of aggression. If the prefect of trade believes, in good faith, that these conditions have been met, then he/she may open up formal trade agreements without parliamentary approval. While approval from the Sacred Chancellor is not necessary to formalize a trade agreement, he may veto the agreement, as may the Holy Father.

At present, Saint Uriel has formalized trade relations with these nations: Mondoth, Empryia, The Macabees, Calpe, Xeraph, Yallak, Yugoslavitania, Cobdenia, and Auralinia. There are several other nations where negotiations are ongoing.

Festivals

All major Christian religious holidays are recognised by the state. The following holidays are mandatory off-days for all workers (with the exception of emergency and military personel):

Easter Sunday - variable

The Feast of St. Uriel - July 28th

The Feast of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Our Lord (Although this is a national holiday, the largest celebrations are in Urbis Santa Maria. These large festivals attract visitors from all over Saint Uriel and the world.) - August 15th

Founding Day, Michaelmas (The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels) - September 29th

All Saint's Day - November 1st

The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas) - December 25th

• Note - Some towns and villages also have local holidays for their patron saints.

Issues

The biggest issue currently facing Saint Uriel is that of its UN membership. The UN has become increasingly secular and many resolutions appear to be at odds with Saint Uriel's Charter. However, UN membership is popular with the majority of Saint Urielians due to its free trade and disaster relief benefits. They also believe that UN membership is the key way in which Saint Uriel can reach out and interact with the world at large. This issue is currently being hotly debated in Saint Uriel's parliament. UPDATE: With the passing of UN resolution 103, which was authored by the Saint Urielian UN delegation, the calls for Saint Uriel to exit the UN have largely died.

There have been recent calls to start a weapons development program and transform the SUDF into more of a military agency than a relief organisation. These calls have been met with stiff resistance from the government, who points out that the charter calls for Saint Uriel to be largely a pacifist nation.

There is also a small minority within Saint Uriel who protests the government's laws protecting the state religion. They point out that other nations sometimes refer to Saint Uriel as "The Vatican whipping boy". Indeed, the desire for total independence from The Holy See is growing within Saint Uriel, although it is not yet in the mainstream.