Mater dicit religionem et misericordiam simul manere debere.

The main clause is:

• Mater dicit = Mother says

After that comes an indirect statement, a very common Latin construction:

• religionem et misericordiam simul manere debere

So the whole sentence works like:

• Mother says that religion and mercy ought to remain together.

Latin often uses accusative + infinitive where English uses that + a finite verb.

Because in Latin indirect statement, the subject of the subordinate statement goes into the accusative.

So although religion and mercy are the things that are supposed to remain, Latin does not put them in the nominative here. Instead it uses:

• religionem
• misericordiam

as the accusative subject of the infinitives.

This is one of the most important patterns in Latin:

• dicit = he/she says
• aliquid esse = something to be
• together: he/she says that something is

So here:

• Mater dicit religionem et misericordiam ... debere
• literally: Mother says religion and mercy ... to ought...
• naturally: Mother says that religion and mercy ought...

Because debere often takes another infinitive.

• debere = to owe, and very often to ought / to have to / must
• manere = to remain

So:

• manere debere = to ought to remain / to have to remain

In smoother English, we usually say:

• ought to remain
• should remain
• sometimes must remain, depending on context

So the two infinitives are not strange once you see the pattern:

• debere + infinitive = ought to do something

Here simul means together or at the same time.

In this sentence, the most natural sense is:

• religion and mercy should remain together
• in other words, they should continue side by side, not be separated

So simul is an adverb modifying the idea of remaining.

Mater is nominative singular.

It is the subject of the main verb:

• Mater dicit = Mother says

So the sentence has:

• main subject: Mater
• main verb: dicit
• indirect statement: religionem et misericordiam simul manere debere

Dicit means says.

Verbs like dicit, putat, scit, audit, credit often introduce an indirect statement in Latin.

English usually says:

• Mother says that religion and mercy should remain together.

Latin typically says:

• Mother says religion and mercy to ought to remain together.

That is not natural English, but it shows the structure. So dicit is the verb that triggers the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

Because infinitives in Latin do not show person or number the way finite verbs do.

In English too, compare:

• they remain
• but to remain

The infinitive to remain does not change for singular or plural. Latin works similarly:

• manere = to remain
• debere = to ought / to have to

The plurality is understood from the accusative subject:

• religionem et misericordiam = religion and mercy

A very literal translation would be:

• Mother says religion and mercy to have to remain together.

That is awkward English, but it helps you see the Latin structure.

A better natural translation is:

• Mother says that religion and mercy ought to remain together.

Depending on context, you could also say:

• Mother says that religion and mercy should remain together.
• Mother says that religion and mercy must remain together.

It most directly means to owe, but with another infinitive it often expresses obligation:

• ought to
• should
• must
• have to

Which English word is best depends on context and tone.

In a sentence like this, ought to remain together is often a good choice because it sounds moral or philosophical. Must remain together is stronger. Should remain together is a bit softer.

So debere covers a range of obligation, and English may choose different words.

Not always exactly.

Religio can mean:

• religion
• religious observance
• reverence
• scruple
• sense of sacred duty

So although religion is a reasonable translation, the Latin word can carry a broader Roman sense of piety or religious duty.

In this sentence, the learner should know that religionem is accusative singular of religio.

Misericordia means:

• mercy
• compassion
• pity

It is a feminine noun, and here misericordiam is the accusative singular form.

So the pair:

• religionem et misericordiam

means:

• religion/piety and mercy/compassion

Yes. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical relationships.

This sentence puts the infinitive phrase after dicit, and it leaves the verbal idea manere debere toward the end, which is very natural in Latin.

You could imagine other arrangements, such as:

• Mater dicit simul religionem et misericordiam manere debere
• Mater religionem et misericordiam simul manere debere dicit

These would still be understandable, though they may have slightly different emphasis.

The given order is neat and readable:

• speaker first: Mater
• reporting verb: dicit
• content of the statement after that

Grammatically, they are two separate nouns joined by et:

• religionem et misericordiam = religion and mercy

Together they form the accusative subject of the infinitive construction.

Semantically, the sentence says these two things belong together and should continue together. So they are distinct qualities, but the speaker is presenting them as closely connected.

A direct statement would turn the infinitives into a normal finite verb.

For example, the core idea could be expressed more directly as:

• Religio et misericordia simul manere debent.
• Religion and mercy ought to remain together.

Then, if you report that directly, Latin often changes it into indirect statement:

• Mater dicit religionem et misericordiam simul manere debere.

So this sentence is a good example of how Latin converts a normal statement into reported speech.