Patricus I, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God.
Philip Patrick Sullivan is known as Patricus I. He is the former Archbishop of Baltimore.
Philip’s parents were killed when he was young, leaving him in the care of his godparents. He suffered no mistreatment at their hands, but he was isolated in a life that wasn’t his own. The church was his main solace. It was in this time that he grew a heart for the poor and lost, even as his own hardened against those who crushed them against the wheel.
The most vivid of his dreams were penned in journals, sharing them only with his confessor. Guilt drove him to the Deacon the day following a particularly concerning dream, and the seriousness of Philip’s expression told the priest all that was needed. Philip asked for confession, and they sat while the story was relayed.
”It was as though I was high above the world, looking down upon all of mankind. I saw a huge, golden dragon asleep across the continents of the earth. Yet for some reason, I sensed that the dragon was aware of all that transpired around it, even that I was watching from above.
Then I saw priests of all nations converge into one place on earth. Arguments began, and the dragon, seemingly asleep, lifted one gleaming red eye to glance their way. He seemed amused, then lowered his head and went back to sleep. Yet I was left with an uneasy worry that the dragon was in fact very aware of these happenings.
The arguments came to a clash and two groups of priests left the auditorium. The first returned to the United States, while the other retreated to the Vatican. Once again, the dragon stirred and opened its eyes and watched with sinister satisfaction. Yet from its stillness, I was very concerned.
The larger group dispersed soon after, but some broke away in pairs, whisking away together in secret. This sub-group reformed, speaking in whispers. Eventually, they shook hands and departed. The dragon woke from its slumber this time, lifting its head to peer at them, watching them with teeth bared as they retreated each to their own country. The dragon slithered softly away after that.
When the dragon moved, the part of the earth that was hidden by its belly was shown to me. I saw tunnels and roads like veins hidden by the planet’s surface. The people crawled like ants, scattering along these hidden places frantically, yet methodically. A chill swept over me. Only then the dragon appeared in the heavens alongside me, soaring around the entire earth spotting its prey. It gave an enormous roar as it billowed through the sky. It opened its mouth wide and began to devour all the nations, one by one. To my horror, they were oblivious they were being devoured.”
His confession was absolved, but the priest assured him that dreams were hardly a sin. He kept a careful journal of these dreams, but he could never put them aside.
He entered a lifetime of service without hesitation. Over time, Philip aligned himself with a non-negotiable dedication to God’s laws. This made him walk the side of conservatism among church politics. Bishop, then Archbishop, of Baltimore was a position of great authority, but also a duty he bore with devout seriousness. The position required interfacing with the secular politicians of the world, and he was more than capable.
Young, and controversially American, Philip was elected Pope during a time when the world was changing faster than ever before. His ascension was apparently the result of a simple, effective media strategy implemented by the Vatican. He was thought to be the one capable of withstanding immense pressure against the church being bent to the will of the Custody. Yet as he began his reign, he was rather resistant to the prevailing politics of the Vatican stewards instead. The sovereign took a stand far from the spotlight and rather than confront the CCD, he chose to recede into the shadows. He focused on the billions of souls that looked to him for guidance rather than safe-guarding a single square mile of land.
Then one day, a man whose existence was locked away in his mind, returned from mental banishment. Patricus was leading the morning prayer, glancing up only briefly, when the man’s face staked daggers in his heart. The haunts of his youth were conjured, and in that moment, he remembered the dream of a dragon, priests, and hidden veins in the earth.
He sanctioned a war in the conversation that followed: a war that wasn’t his to fight. The hauntings resumed afterward, but this time, he confessed only to God himself.