American Catholic Church (Great Nuclear War)

The American Catholic Church is a religious institution in Former America.

History
With the Vatican destroyed in the War, Catholic churches worldwide were left without the guidance of the Pope, sending shock-waves through the institution of many centuries.

In North Ohio and Indiana, two nations very close in culture, there was a very high catholic population, which only grew after the War brought many to find their faith again. Many Church officials thought that for the purposes of leading themselves effectively, a new Pope, if only a Viceroy, needed to be elected. This led to the New Vatican Council was called. This meeting occurred in Sandusky, and thousands of Catholics came, including some from across the lake in Kent-Lambton. Eventually, after four days, the new Pope, who took the regnal name of Pope Castus I.

This Pope would lead the church for the next 55 years, and see to it's expansion far and wide. The ACC, often called the Insular (Continental) Catholic Church, or InsCath for short, often served as a vehicle of communication, and has much influence over politics.

Shortly afterward, in 1970, Great Penance was constructed. Great Penance would serve as the seat of the new Pope and all other Church activity.

Faith's Militant
In 1976, many Catholics in Ashland, North Ohio wanted to spread the word of InsCath, and provide humanitarian aid for those outside of NO's borders. This group became known as the "Knights of Saint Lazarus", and many proposed making them into an official Hospitaller Order. In 1978, two years after their expedition into Pennsylvania, Pope Castus I officially declared the Knights to be an official order under the ACC.

This led to a new movement within the Church which sought to create more Military Orders, with many wishing to proselytize and curb the chaos following the War. It was because of this that Pope Castus created 4 other Military Orders, officially called the "Faith's Militant". One of these orders were Hospitallers, though the others were strictly military organizations. One order, the "Poor Knights of Elkhart" serve as guards to lands the Church owns, including Great Penance.