Matej Merkas (born 1944) is the current High Diviner of the Prophet, serving as the head of the Council for Divinity and the supreme spiritual authority of Kresimirianism in the Divine Republic of Kresimiria.
Appointed in 2012 by Chancellor Kresimirovic IV, Merkas succeeded the firebrand Malik Kondratiev, who resigned the position to lead the Sons of Kresimir political party. Merkas is widely regarded as a theological purist and a scholar rather than a politician. His tenure has been defined by a quiet but firm resistance to the secularization of the state and a specific ideological conflict with the “Digital Sovereignty” agenda of Ari Stov, particularly regarding the integration of technology into religious practice.
Early Life and Education
Matej Merkas was born in 1944 in Karlovac, the spiritual heart of District IX. Born into a family of bookbinders who serviced the State Press, he grew up surrounded by religious texts. His childhood coincided with the volatile “Iron Era” of Chancellor Kresimirovic II; he was sixteen years old during the traumatic 1960 Bombing of Karlovac University, an event that reportedly shaped his somber and protective view of the faith.
He attended Karlovac University, enrolling in the prestigious Faculty of Divinity in 1962. He was a student of the “Old School” of theology, emphasizing the study of the Books of Kresimir over the political activism that characterized his contemporary, Malik Kondratiev. He was ordained as a Diviner in 1968.
Clerical Career
Merkas spent four decades rising through the hierarchy of the Council for Divinity. Unlike many ambitious clerics who sought placements in the capital, Sinj, Merkas remained in Karlovac as a professor of Canon Law. He became a Learned Diviner (one of the twelve senior members of the Council) in 2005.
During this period, he authored several influential theological papers arguing that the Faith Restriction Clause was a spiritual covenant rather than a political tool, a stance that distinguished him from the nationalist rhetoric of the Sons of Kresimir.
High Diviner (2012–Present)
In 2012, High Diviner Malik Kondratiev resigned to run for the Senate in District III. The vacancy sparked a debate within the Chancellory. While hardliners pushed for another political appointee, Chancellor Kresimirovic IV opted for Merkas, viewing him as a stabilizing, scholarly figure who would disentangle the Church from the daily brawls of the Assembly.
The Digital Conflict
Merkas’s tenure has been characterized by a philosophical struggle against the “Technocratic Statism” of Blue Dawn leader Ari Stov.
- The Confession Portals: In 2015, following the passage of the Digital Vigilance Act, the government and YakaSys proposed integrating “Digital Confession Portals” into the mandatory KresiX app. Merkas vehemently opposed this, issuing a Bull of Privacy. He argued that confession requires a “sacred silence” that cannot exist on a server monitored by the CIA.
- The Unlikely Alliance: This stance led to a rare alignment between the Council for Divinity and secular privacy advocates like Illes Mehic of the CRF and the legal charity Republic For All. Merkas successfully blocked the mandatory rollout of the feature, marking a significant check on Stov’s digital expansion.
Citizenship Tribunals
Under Merkas, the Council for Divinity has continued to serve as the final court of appeal for citizenship revocations. Critics in the CRF argue that while Merkas is less overtly political than Kondratiev, the Council remains conservative, upholding the revocation of citizenship for those deemed to have committed “public apostasy” or blasphemy against the state religion.
Relationship with Politics
Merkas maintains a strict separation from the Sons of Kresimir party, despite their shared ideological roots. He has privately criticized Malik Kondratiev for using the pulpit for electioneering. However, on social issues, he remains a staunch conservative, mobilizing the clergy to oppose the 2023 Harm Reduction Act, which he termed a “surrender to vice.”