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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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→Vandire's legacy
Sebastian Thor eventually became the new Ecclesiarch, and brought great reforms to the organization which finally ended the Age of Apostasy. He permanently moved the much of the organization to Ophelia VII, as a sort of dual capital along with Terra. This would prevent another incidence of a High Lord taking control of the Ecclesiarchy, and aid in dissemination of Ecclesiarchal dogma. Dioceses were cut into smaller areas, so a single Cardinal would not have control over a large area, but also to increase the overall number of Cardinals, which would further dilute power.
One notable change was the Decree Passive of the High Lords, which declared that the Ecclesiarchy could have no "men under arms". Thor complied with this, and all military functions of the Ecclesiarchy were disbanded, except for one- the Daughters of the Emperor remained, but were renamed the Orders Militant of the [[Adepta Sororitas]] (also known as the [[aka Sisters of Battle]] or simply Adepta Sororitas). As they were "women under arms", they did not violate the decree; while the spirit of the decree may not have been followed, Thor believed that the Ecclesiarchy should have some military force of their own, so that it would not be completely reliant upon other Imperial military forces for its own defense.
A less noticeable yet very important development was the creation of the [[Ordo Hereticus]] within the [[Inquisition]]. This order of the secretive Inquisition is tasked with watching over the Ecclesiarchy and ensuring that its dogma and decrees conform to accepted Imperial standards, as well as preventing Cardinals from assuming too much power or otherwise going against Imperial policy. This mandate has since expanded significantly to include hunting down other internal threats to the Imperium, notably mutants, rogue [[psyker]]s, and "[[heretic]]s" (anyone deemed to be not in accordance with Imperial dogma). The Adepta Sororitas often work alongside the Ordo Hereticus, as they frequently share goals, notably in hunting heretics.
