Epilogue to the First Era of Expansion
The influence of Bishop Marlowe's letter spread quickly through both the clergy and the laity. Within months, numerous SCRIBE units were vandalized, deactivated, or ceremonially dismantled. Some described these acts as murder—though this term remains hotly contested due to the unresolved theological question of whether SCRIBES were alive in any meaningful sense.
In response to the unrest, Pope Cyprian I convened the First Interplanetary Ecumenical Council (IEC) in 3298 CE. Its stated purpose was twofold: to resolve the theological rift regarding SCRIBE liturgical presence, and to clarify the Church’s expanding role across non-terrestrial domains.
At the council’s conclusion, Pope Cyprian I issued a doctrinal declaration denouncing Marlowe’s position as heretical. He affirmed that SCRIBE units were a valid part of Church liturgy, so long as their knowledge, content, and function originated from—and remained under—the authority of ordained clergy.
Thus, the matter was settled in doctrine—though, as with many settlements, dissent endured beyond the Council’s final blessing.