Was it worth doing that?
Without a doubt, it was.
Given Rafia's understanding of The Holy See's power structure, the birth of a Saintess would greatly advance the development of the entire Bishopric. At the same time, all the clergy who had selected that Saintess within the Bishopric could also gain enormous benefits.
Within the Light Prayer Church, the highest rank was the Pope.
He stood alone at the very top, able to mobilize every resource within the entire religion and absolutely surpassing everyone else.
But... there was only one Pope.
The second rank beneath the Pope consisted of the Central Archbishop, who oversaw all clergy, and the Adjudicator, who controlled the judicial institutions.
There was no question about it.
Other than those two second-rank figures, the Saintess held the highest status.
Nominally, the Saintess was on equal footing with those two second-rank leaders.
Though rank did not represent power, and the Saintess could only oversee all nuns, her influence was terrifyingly great.
First, the Saintess held an exalted position and possessed immense prestige throughout the Light Prayer Church. In the eyes of the faithful, she was like the Pope, a direct spokesperson for God.
Furthermore, the Saintess's words could influence third-rank decisions to a certain degree.
The so-called third rank referred to the various Bishoprics.
It was no exaggeration to say that by then, even the Archbishop of Order would have to salute her upon seeing her.
And as a nun from the Bishopric of Order who had been selected as a Saintess, she could fully use the convenience of her position to secure all kinds of benefits for the Kingdom of Order. Those benefits included various economic and policy advantages, even resources such as powerful individuals. There had even been cases in history where, under a Saintess's influence,