The new proposal immediately won the support of the noble faction.
The same thing looked different in different people's eyes.
To Archbishop Tyron, the "Five Patriarchs" system shattered his dream of becoming pope. But to the noble faction, it was the best opportunity to fight for the "right to interpret doctrine."
If secular people could serve as religious leaders, then secular people could naturally interpret doctrine as well. Once the floodgates opened, everyone could legally reach into matters of doctrine.
At that moment, Caesar IV hesitated.
Establishing a pope would be a great thing for the royal family, but not necessarily for the king.
There could not be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in one nation.
If the king and pope were crammed together and their views conflicted, whose orders should be followed?
Yet the king could not also serve as pope. According to doctrine, the pope was chosen by the gods and had to dedicate everything to them. Marriage and children were out of the question.
When power was involved, Caesar IV had no choice but to think more carefully. If the royal family's authority increased at the cost of the king's own power, then the matter had to be reconsidered.
Hudson's patriarch system was another extreme. It not only diluted the power of the new Church, but also placed religious authority beneath secular power.
"Patriarch"—a religious leader.
It sounded impressive, but he was not an emperor after all and possessed no supreme, absolute authority.
Allowing non-clergy to serve as patriarchs was even more epoch-making. It meant that, if the king wished, he could hold the position himself.
With the entry threshold lowered, the corresponding authority was drastically reduced. Using religion as a cudgel to interfere in the internal affairs of the lords was basically impossible.