Universal Church of God
The Universal Church of God is a break away sect of Terran Roman Catholicism. After the Vatican V Council failed to agree on the status of genetically altered races, several Cardinals declared the then Pope, Joan-Paul II, an anti-pope and fled to the stars in order to re-establish the See of Peter on 'unpolluted' ground. During the Rule of Man several Universalist colonies were established throughout Dagudashaag; primarily in Bolivar, Zeda and Shallows subsectors.
Legend has it that the Dominican Friar Kendric Melatino of Bolivar managed to re-establish communication between the various colonies during the Long Night. Using his fellow Dominican's to rid the colonies of 'heresy' he re-elected Cardinals and called a Council to elect a Pope. Friar Melatino was quite unsurprisingly elected as Pope Innocent XV. His first act was to excommunicate Pope Jaan-Paul II and all subsequent successors. Since that time the Church has amassed a great following in the spinward regions of Dagudashaag, In some parts aided by political treaties both with the Ushran Empire and later with Makhidkarun during the Pacification Campaigns which placed entire worlds into their control. The Universal Church is extremely fundamentalist in its teachings and protects its doctrine with an iron hand and the threat at a visit of its ever·present House of Inquisition.