Grand Synod

There are 6 Grand Synods, groups whose membership is drawn from the senior archbishops known informally as the Hierarchs. Within their own sphere of influence, they need defer only to the Pope.

1. The Most Divine Grand Synod selects the Pope, manages His schedule and acts as His spokesperson, as well as appointing new archbishops.
2. The Miraculous Grand Synod is responsible for recognising miracles, and therefore for assessing candidates for sainthood.
3. The Temple Grand Synod produces the timetables for temple ships and oversees their maintenance
4. The Grand Synod of the Word maintains the official translation of the Bible, and is the only group authorized to add new books
5. The Grand Synod on Celestial Nomenclature (commonly referred to as the Celestial Grand Synod or Astronomic Society) administers the official names and classes of planets.
6. The Technological Grand Synod used to have more power, but these days is little more than an administrative shell around a single department, the Theocratic Science Service