They sought total authority and banned religion that would compete with that authority. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
They sought total authority, which means getting rid of religions which would compete with that authority. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
According to the Journal News, «With total authority over programming, the Archdiocese of New York was given the rare opportunity to play Michelangelo and create something new. (en.wikipedia.org)