The Salvation Army is politically neutral but has long partnered with governments and civic authorities. In countless cultures and countries around the world, the Church has always had interactions with government. The early Church had a contentious relationship with authorities (particularly the Roman government), which resulted in the outright persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire until the Edict of Milan was issued in 313. During medieval times in Western Europe, the Church even took on governmental functions, crowning kings and queens to rule over the secular world according to Church dictates.