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Francisclarans
The Order of Francis and Clare was once a missionary branch of a Christian-derived group influenced by Expiationist thought. It is now a religion in its own right. The Francisclarans are a small but active organization in the present milieu, with headquarters at Pacifica in the Utopia Sphere and branches across the entire wormhole network. The Francisclarans are advocates for the rights of all sentient, sapient, and transapient beings. Francisclarans are welcome in the polities of their home territories, but elsewhere in Terragen space they may be persecuted or ignored. Their missionaries often engage in memetic campaigns against maltreatment of sentient beings. Because they seek out and publicize abuses, the Francisclarans are informal watchdogs for the Universal Bill of Sentients Rights, and are experts in the usages of the Sentients Rights Protocols. Some of their most famous saints have attempted to convert entire cultures, or to persuade transapients to change their ways. Most often they bring about small changes in the memetic balance of a culture or the behaviour of a major or minor entity rather than wholesale conversion to Expiationist beliefs, but their influence is perceptible. The most zealous Francisclarans favour direct action and may try to rescue individuals or whole populations if persuasion and publicity fail. A number of martyrs have been created in this way.
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Text by Stephen Inniss
Initially published on 26 August 2004.
Initially published on 26 August 2004.
