Catholic Church

There are two churches that claim to be the Catholic Church in CyberNations, one lead by Pope Pius XIII and the other by Pope Hope - who is most commonly recognized as an antipope. The followers of Pope Hope are in a church generally known as the Orange Catholic Church (a term made on March 23) and persecuted by many (especially by those in the NPO) for following an antipope.

History
The history of the Roman Catholic Church in CyberNations paralleled the real history of the Roman Catholic Church until around December 2005. In the anarchy that followed World War III, all major nations in their modern form collapsed and were replaced by city-states in small countries. Pope Benedict XVI is believed to have died in this time, leaving a vacancy in the papacy. There was a Pope Benedict XVII, a Pope Hope (who was a woman), and Pope Pius XIII.

In Mexico City, Emperor Felipe III called a meeting of the three popes and Catholics worldwide. The event lasted from March 7th to March 11th. At that meeting, Benedict XVII made a touching speach that convinced Felipe III, but there was an overwhelming support for Pope Pius XIII among the NPO and NAAC representatives, who made up a majority of those there. Benedict thus renounced his claim to the papacy in exchange for becoming a cardinal while Pius XIII and Hope I continued to argue. In the end, Antipope Hope I was excommunicated and became a pope of a breakaway Orange "Catholic" Church (though recognized as an antipope by a majority of Catholics) while Pope Pius XIII was recognized as pope of the Roman Catholic Church.