The Church

The Church was a religious military organisation operating in the 52nd century. It was responsible for interstellar security, protecting human populations, and special covert operations. Ranks in the Church included Bishop, Cleric, Verger and Colonel. The organisation itself is sometimes called "the Clerics".

Members were organised into different faith/regiments, including the Anglican Marines (DW: A Good Man Goes to War), while the governing body was the Vatican. (REF: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia)

History
The Church battled against Lava Snakes. (DW: The Time of Angels)

On one occasion, a Church regiment and the Headless Monks were working together as part of the Silence's operation to capture the infant Melody Pond to use as a weapon against the Doctor: at this point in time, the Church considered him a threat to humanity. The Doctor was able to neutralise the entire force at their Demon's Run base without personally killing anyone (though he tricked the Clerics and the Headless Monks into shooting each other for a brief period). However, the defeat of the Church was part of the Silence's trap. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)

On another occasion, on which the Church was no longer hostile to the Doctor, Father Octavian recruited River Song for a covert mission in which she infiltrated the Galaxy class Starliner Byzantium, which contained a Weeping Angel. She called in the Doctor, who rescued her and accompanied her to Alfava Metraxis, where the Byzantium had crashed. There they met with Octavian's unit. Octavian led his men into the Maze of the Dead below the Byzantium. Clerics Christian, Angelo and Bob were soon killed by the Angels. The Doctor assured him they could not have been saved, but Octavian told him that he would be the one to tell their families while the Doctor went off in his blue box. Nonetheless he still told the Doctor he had faith in him when they were surrounded by Angels. (DW: The Time of Angels) A crack in space-time was discovered in the forest of the Byzantium. Although the Doctor, Amy and River were able to survive and send the Weeping Angels falling into the crack, thus erasing them from space and time. Octavian was killed by a Weeping Angel and the remainder of the Clerics were erased by the crack. (DW: Flesh and Stone)

Since the Doctor later negated the cracks, (DW: The Big Bang) the fates of the Clerics and the circumstances of the Angels' defeat is unclear.

Demon's Run

 * Colonel Manton (leader)
 * Madame Kovarian (associate)
 * Headless monks (honourary allies)
 * Cleric Lorna Bucket
 * "Thin Man"
 * "Fat Man"
 * Lucas
 * Dominicus
 * Digger

Byzantium Expedition

 * Bishop Second Class Octavian
 * Cleric Christian
 * Cleric Angelo
 * Cleric Bob
 * Cleric Marco
 * Cleric Pedro
 * Cleric Phillip