D
Danmark
Guest
Cardinal Hemminsen nodded and smiled benignly at the Altaic cardinal and took great heart from the outward support for the Altaics from Cardinal Accolti. The daily existence of the One True Faith was clearly a tough call in the principality and he felt a great deal of sympathy and warmness of heart for their plight. On politics over the nascent Zamoscan despotate, as it chose to title itself, the cardinal had no interest as long as the Tiburan faithful were protected and allowed freedom to openly practice and demonstrate the faith. In that sense, the responsibility was on the Talemantine-backed regime to exact this. The Talemantine Orthodox themselves, he had a significant respect for. Their traditions, practice and glorious architectural masterpieces. But in faith, whilst he respected them, they were clearly misguided and errant, but he was tolerant nonetheless.
The other Danish cardinal, Bisgaard, was a thorough ultra-montane. He did not trust the Zamoscan-Talemantine duopolistic carve-up one inch. They had demonstated a carte blanche intolerance and arrogance over Orthodoxy and he was unnerved and would not budge an inch in his opposition to them. He had no crystal ball, but he believed that the future lives of Tiburan catholics in that hell-hole of Talemantine expansionism were under threat. Cast in a mould of unavowed and stubborn ultra-conservatism, this Danish man of the Almighty would be leading the calls for and firmly planting the glorious banner of Holy War, launching a Crusade to smite the unholy Talemantines and throw the lot out sending the scroundrels, tails between their legs, back to whence they came. His beloved church came before everything and absolutely nothing should stand in the way of it. The Talemantines and their teat-sucking marionette in Zamosk were sly, if somewhat stupid, and would do anything to double-cross and preserve their existance. Rotten to the core.
The physically huge Great Danes hurriedly conferenced between themselves in hushed whispers. To outsiders, it was all glottal stops and flat guttural sounds, but this was a beautiful language of a somewhat proud and individualistic race. Bisgaard, suspicious of outside observers, cast a beady eye over the other cardinals, but quickly realised that few others knew their tongue.
Hemmingsen raised his right hand, index finger pointed upwards, to indicate his wish to speak. Perhaps more nuanced than his colleague, he was chosen as the primary spokesperson.
"Upon hearing of the dire straits experienced by the Zamoskan faithful, we suggest that certain alterations in archdiocescan boundaries be made. It would be of great purchase if the current Zamosca be brought within a new archdiocese linking it with Altai with an archbishop based in the principality. I believe that this would bring great confidence to those faithful marooned in the Despotate and assured continuance for the Tiburan faith".
He pursed his lips before expressing a dilemma that had been been discussed in the Danish Tiburan Church for some time. Now was the opportunity to express this before all the fellow cardinals.
"My kingdom has a flock of around twenty percent of the Great Danish peoples, nineteen million at the last estimate. It is apparent to us that three cardinals, and only two cardinal electors, is insufficient to effectively represent such a huge number of people. It is our sincere belief that, to put it bluntly, that we need more greater ecclesiastical representation commensurate with the numbers of Danish Tiburans. It is a huge and taxing effort to represent such a number with only the official strata we have and a strained church hierarchy, from top to bottom. New archdioceses within Danmark and the appropriate increase of ecclesiastical presence is a dire requirement".
Hemmingsen cast his eyes upwards to the ornately crafted ceiling and drew a deep breath. Now this was out of the way, the weighty business of selecting the pontiff was upon them. A momentous event indeed.
The other Danish cardinal, Bisgaard, was a thorough ultra-montane. He did not trust the Zamoscan-Talemantine duopolistic carve-up one inch. They had demonstated a carte blanche intolerance and arrogance over Orthodoxy and he was unnerved and would not budge an inch in his opposition to them. He had no crystal ball, but he believed that the future lives of Tiburan catholics in that hell-hole of Talemantine expansionism were under threat. Cast in a mould of unavowed and stubborn ultra-conservatism, this Danish man of the Almighty would be leading the calls for and firmly planting the glorious banner of Holy War, launching a Crusade to smite the unholy Talemantines and throw the lot out sending the scroundrels, tails between their legs, back to whence they came. His beloved church came before everything and absolutely nothing should stand in the way of it. The Talemantines and their teat-sucking marionette in Zamosk were sly, if somewhat stupid, and would do anything to double-cross and preserve their existance. Rotten to the core.
The physically huge Great Danes hurriedly conferenced between themselves in hushed whispers. To outsiders, it was all glottal stops and flat guttural sounds, but this was a beautiful language of a somewhat proud and individualistic race. Bisgaard, suspicious of outside observers, cast a beady eye over the other cardinals, but quickly realised that few others knew their tongue.
Hemmingsen raised his right hand, index finger pointed upwards, to indicate his wish to speak. Perhaps more nuanced than his colleague, he was chosen as the primary spokesperson.
"Upon hearing of the dire straits experienced by the Zamoskan faithful, we suggest that certain alterations in archdiocescan boundaries be made. It would be of great purchase if the current Zamosca be brought within a new archdiocese linking it with Altai with an archbishop based in the principality. I believe that this would bring great confidence to those faithful marooned in the Despotate and assured continuance for the Tiburan faith".
He pursed his lips before expressing a dilemma that had been been discussed in the Danish Tiburan Church for some time. Now was the opportunity to express this before all the fellow cardinals.
"My kingdom has a flock of around twenty percent of the Great Danish peoples, nineteen million at the last estimate. It is apparent to us that three cardinals, and only two cardinal electors, is insufficient to effectively represent such a huge number of people. It is our sincere belief that, to put it bluntly, that we need more greater ecclesiastical representation commensurate with the numbers of Danish Tiburans. It is a huge and taxing effort to represent such a number with only the official strata we have and a strained church hierarchy, from top to bottom. New archdioceses within Danmark and the appropriate increase of ecclesiastical presence is a dire requirement".
Hemmingsen cast his eyes upwards to the ornately crafted ceiling and drew a deep breath. Now this was out of the way, the weighty business of selecting the pontiff was upon them. A momentous event indeed.
