Absolute authority leads to corruption, Commander Shepard. We've seen this in Meredith and Lambert. When we reform order we should return to its roots: The locating of mages, bringing them to the tower for proper training and watch over them as they do so. Any political might we have acquired should be surrendered. We are guardians, not rulers.
Meredith and Lambert never had Absolute authority pretty much why everything went to hell ,as merdith had to play with orsino that was corrupted among with most of circle and lambert had to face rogue mages that want separate themselves from chantry and he almost prevented war sadly divine was dumb same for leliana and freed mages.If templars had absolute authority such situations like ferelden,kirkwall circle and mages going rogue wouldn't have place.
Everything pretty much goes into that mages have to much freedom and power in circles as we see in ferelden and kirkwall circle that were we had blood mage on blood mage pretty much Meredith was only trying to stop that sadly she couldn't because orsino and pretty much very flawed system that allowed them to do that as well protected them.Not to mention that something ridiculous as faternites shouldn't even exist pretty much that lead to entire mess with mages wanting go rogue in asunder.
Templars are to prevent mages causing disasters at any cost and by that they need control them more or less sadly that less part was proven inefficient as we saw to that point.
Pretty much this entire war is because templars failed at their goal to control mages.