The Holy Church and the Orthodox Church are based on the teachings of the Savior and his apostles and saints, respect the wisdom of God’s once Chosen People, and worships the all knowing, all powerful true God. They emphasizes law over chaos and good over evil, each with equal emphasis. Each sees itself as a unique moral authority, with many Chosen clerics and paladins, however most of priests and monks are not capable of divine magic.
The Holy Church is the sole church in the western and central parts of Europa. While a few pockets of paganism still persist, the great majority of humans in these areas are followers of the Church. And the Church wields great influence over them, controlling not only religion but also dominating education, law, healing and medicine, art and having a great influence on politics. In addition to its immense influence and power, The Holy Church also has great wealth, with its bishops and abbots controlling large tracks of land across the continent. Many towns and cities contain spectacular churches and cathedrals, all built with donations. Each is a testament to the devotion of the people, and the status of the Church.
The Church is generally wise in its exercise of power. In the dark days after the fall of the old empire, it was a bastion of learning and reason, preserving the precious knowledge of the ancients. It has built many schools, universities, and hospitals as well as its churches and cathedrals. It is a comfort to the common peasant as well as an advisor to the greatest king. Still, the Holy Church is a powerful body known for its voracious appetite for donations, in spite of its great wealth. It has little tolerance of dissent, and will crush those that it sees as opposing its interest. And while many priests are righteous and kind, there is little doubt that there is corruption inside the Church.
The Orthodox Church separated from the Holy Church a few centuries ago. The dominant religion in the Byzantine Empire and the Principalities of Rus, the Orthodox Church is ruled by the Patriarchs in the great cities of the east. The greatest, the Patriarch of Constatinople, is a first among equals, and does not rule over the Church the same way the Pope does its western counterpart.
Symbol: Cross. Each church also used many other symbols, such as images of the Virgin, the Savior, and various saints and apostles, however The Cross is the paramount symbol.
Organization: Each Church has two kinds of priests, the general clergy, and the members of the various monastic and mendicant orders. The clergy have their own elaborate hierarchy, as do the separate orders. The general clergy range from low level Deacons, through the Priests, each of whom is usually associated with a parish, through the intermediate Deans and Archdeacons, up through the Bishops and Archbishops, who are based in sizable towns and cities, and who have spiritual (and sometimes secular) authority over much of the surrounding territory. In the monastic orders it ranges from the common monks and friars, addressed as brother, through those who are also priests and called father, up to the Priors and Abbots that control the priories and abbeys. Woman may be nuns in their own monastic orders, Abbesses control their convents. Each order has its own Master General (sometimes other titles are used). Over the entire Holy Church is the Pope, who rules supreme. The Pope is also the direct ruler of the Holy See, and has a number of kings and princes who swear fealty to him.