SA has never actually really had classical theocracies in my opinion. They do not practice direct rule by the Church for one thing; no Elder of SA has any power over any theocracy unless he's first been granted that power through secular channels. It's more the other way around. The theocracies as a group control the Church, and it tends to serve primarily their interests with only minimal protest from relatively pure ecclesiastics like Constantine and Labell. High rank in a theocracy can be translated into power within the Church far more readily than the other way around.
I will be very keen to see how power structures in the Church begin to shift now that high ranking members of non-theocracies are joining in droves. People like Solari and Vellos occupy a very interesting position. They have secular influence as much as any theocratic ruler, and I'm certain they will display a penchant for playing politics within the Church. Things are likely to get very interesting if power starts to shift away from the theocracies as a result, especially since Bustoarsenzio is stepping back and Allison is potentially leaving.
