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Cardinal d'Ursaque had seen this before. With his 75 years of age, he was not the oldest man in the room, but as it has been 49 years since he was appointed, he had been in service the longest amongst all cardinals. That's a long time, 49 years. He was 26, back then, on the 7th of March 1961, when he received a letter of pope Marcus XXII. Cardinal, at that age, and responsable for the final version of the concilium decrees. Brilliant, he was called back than. Old, he was called now.

He had seen it all before. Back in 1963, when Clemens XI was elected. Back in 1981, when Marcus Clemens I was elected. And back in 1992, when Marcus Clemens II was chosen to lead the flock. He entered the room, all chairs in rows, ready to receive the cardinals coming from all sides of the world. All chairs were labeled. Mgr. This and Mgr. That. German names. French names. Names he wondered how to pronounce them correctly. He had heard them before, but forgot how this odd accumulation of letters had to be assembled to an actual name.

As an old cardinal, he knew them all. He better made sure he knew them all. His chair was there, its label was slightly bigger. Mgr. d'Ursaque, it said, accompanied with he word 'president'. Growing old in the Church was a way to make some important carreer moves, even if you didn't want to.

The room filled with purple. Smiling faces, wondering faces, new faces and intriged faces. All went in.

In a way it seemed he had done this before, he required silence, and opened the assemblee with a prayer. The conclave had begun, which had to find a successor for Marcus Clemens II, and would write history. As every conclave does.


"Monseigneurs", he continued, "la parole est à vous". Short, but meaningfull. The discussion could start.
 

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"First," Bishop Seri Chaibancha began, "I believe we need to understand what purpose we see this Church as having now, in the 21st century. As we come into a new millenium, we need to ensure the world that Catholicism is as strong as ever, as important to the hearts and minds of the people as ever."

He paused, looking to the papabiles in the room for their personal takes on happenings in the world, in order to best understand their views and the impact God, through the Holy Father, would have on this world.
 

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"In these days, pride and greed is the only thing that humans think. I don't understand why should Catholicism be strong than ever. Why shouldn't Christianity be strong than ever? Why those the dominant religions, Orthodoxy and Catholicism must be rivals? If we, humble humans in the face of our Lord say that we believe in Christ, then why we don't applicate his teachings in our lives? Why we should have rivals when we can be all brothers? Why, instead of loving each other we must be rivals?"
Bishop Arsenie Daniel then watched the other cardinals and bishops to see what they think of those remarks.
 

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"But at some point, surely, we must profess to adhere to a single, true doctrine of faith?" the Bishop Chaibancha continued in his grammatically correct, if accented, French.

"I agree," chimed in Bishop Udomdej, "if not, what then to stop person from claiming they love Christ our Lord, then pervert beliefs. At some point, line must be drawn in sand to state 'this is true faith, this is not'. I think that yes being accepting of others is wise, but recognizing their beliefs as true is something too much."
 

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Cardinal Desmond Rakuul was already in Dominica to defend his positions, when the Marcus-Clemens II died. He had hoped that with a new pope, the church would institute major reforms. He knew he would have the backing of the liberal cardinals, but they were not the majority, far from it. He would try though; maybe the liberals could sway the College to put a moderate reformer into the office.

“It is in my opinion,” started Desmond, “the Orthodox faith and our own cannot, at this time, be merged into a single faith. Though, I believe that interfaith dialogue is both necessary and productive. To the idea of faith and purity of doctrine; it is impossible to impose a single notion or thought on any part of faith. A unified doctrine of faith is possible, but it is impossible to impose a universal thought.

Looking forward to the future of the church; it is necessary for us to continue with the political and liturgical reforms initiated under Marcus-Clemens II. He was right to start democratic reforms in the Papal States, we must continue this process. Not only that but we must continue and expand the church’s efforts to protect human rights and dignity all over the world. In my country the church helped bring an end to the Apartheid. We need to continue with this legacy.”
 
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The Metropolitan of Saxony, Archbishop Rudolf Cardinal Schmid, was listening keenly. He was noted for taking a silent, patient approach to things, and in his debates he was known to often remain silent, asking questions in a Socrates-like manner, until he had gathered enough facts to make a point collapse on itself, or from where he could attack it with validity and morality.

Nevertheless, today was the time to speak. He was noted for being gentle in his tone, not authoritative but gently suggesting, and yet guiding thins towards his intended goal. He admitted Satan was filling his heart with greed today, and sought to combat it with his biggest weapon - his faith. If anything, however, his darker side hoped that all the charity and patronising of the Arts he had tone to this day would not be in vain.

"Brothers" be said, "it is my humble and honest opinion that, at this time, the biggest and better thing we can do is follow the guidance and light of Our Lord, and his choice in today's Conclave. I am confident that God will point us all to the right person" he said humbly.

"That being said, we all nevertheless have responsibilities. Responsibilities to our clergy and our flock. Good Christians, but also innocents of other faiths, die or get killed every day, from the forces of Satan. The world commits the sin of murder in the worst possible ways. It is my humble wish that we prioritise the well-being of our flocks here.

"The Papal State is a beacon of faith. That cannot be undone. And as keepers of such a beacon of faith, the Vicar of Christ should ensure that the followers of the One True God are treated well, both inside the Papal State and outside it. The Vicar of Christ has immense responsibilities, brothers; He is the one our Lord has chosen for the Holy See and the Papal State alike, and graciously pointed us to."

He took a sip of water in his mouth, swallowed, and continued.

"To the ends of reform and charity, I shall point at a shining beacon of Catholic faith. The Sovereign Order of the Silverless Saints Cosmas and Damian, which today maintains many charity operations across Franken, Ascheburg, the Empire, Eiffelland, the Papal State, and even elsewhere. Recently, it was the first major organisation to contribute aid to the victims of the tsunami that struck the Makai Islands. I do hope that our choice will be one man able to further these same ends in these same manners.

"Brothers, I ask you all to entrust your efforts to charity. Our Church has wealth, both spiritual and material. The material wealth is only important, however, if we use it for common good; to further culture, to improve living conditions, to ease the suffering of others, to combat poverty and promote respect and dignity. At the same time, we must combat sin wherever it appears. Be it murder of an unborn life, or murder of millions; be it murder in a clinic, or murder in the battlefield; be it greed and lust and the glorification of the human body above the soul; be it the forcible displacement of innocents, and their martyrdom because they profess the One God as their God; we should be there.

"Orthodoxy is not yet ready for a Union. Our differences, no matter how minor they might appear, are nevertheless significant. That is to say, however, that we are not rivals. Although our misguided oriental brothers fall victims of political exploitation, they are nevertheless Christians we should work with to create a better world. There are signs that the One True and Catholic Church will, someday, perhaps soon, be united with its misguided cousins once again. Perhaps our next Pope will be the one to achieve this."
 
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Cardinal d'Ursaque listened with interest. He tried to make notices of all what was said, to resume all shortly.

"Monseigneurs", he said, "I can see two directions here. There is apparently a strong desire amongst some towards oecumenical efforts. Are there endorsements for candidacies in this direction? Maybe for bishop Rakuul or Daniel?" He looked around.

"On the other hand we see a direction towards a strong central catholic Church. Or at least a Church that takes it resonsability, be it for the worldly and eternal needs of the flock. Has Bishop Schmid support amongst us?"

He hesitated, and than continued. "When it comes to orthodoxy, it is not only to us, they (and he stressed the word) are involved as well. Dominici has opened the arms for centuries now. We have to keep that in mind. It is clear as well it is nott our mission to decide how to approach the problem on orthodoxy, we have to focus on finding a new pope".

"Do we have suggestions about possible successors?"
 

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"For finding a new Pope," the Primate of Eiffelland Archbishop Rudolph Strelecki said, "it is needed to find out which direction the Lord wants the Church to go. The right person to become the next Pope will follow out of that. According to me, the Church needs to remain a beacon of spirituality and morale. The Church needs to be an example to the world, and a place where people can find strength and inspiration."

After a sip of his water, Strelecki continued.

"Furthermore, the Church has indeed to play an active role in relieving suffering. When doing so, we become the instruments of God. I also need to focus on the Orthodox Catholics and other Christian beliefs. I agree with Cardinal d'Ursaque that the Church must keep their arms open for them, but it will have to be up to them how to respond. We cannot and should not force them."
 
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The 'Head' Cardinal of Ascalon stood up.

"Yes, we cannot force them. But we must encourage them as much as possible. That is why I believe someone from Ascalon should become the next Pope. My reason for thinking so is that Ascalon has been working for hundred's of years to spread Catholicism. I believe that the strongest candidate for the papacy is Archbishop Vincent Tattiglia."
 

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Bishop Arsenie Daniel stood up and said:
"But they are like us. They will not compromise their believes and nor us. We must find a compromise."
 
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The several million Dominican Catholics in Cornavia had as their foremost and supreme representative the Archbishop of Whitehaven, and Sven Wallin had held that post since 2002. A stereotypical blonde Northener speaking with an accent dissimilar from those that were commonly associated with Cornavian English, Wallin was a member of the country's ethnic minority of Cornavian Scanians. Like a significant amount of Cornavia's Dominican Catholics were in general even though immigration had ensured that the face of his Church in Cornavia was nearly as diverse as that of the Church in general.

At home, Wallin was a member of two minorities, his Scanian people and his Church. Here, however, he was among people whom he considered his brothers in faith.

Archbishop Wallin had been silent for the better part of the discussion, merely observing what the other participants had to say. In his country, the one true church existed alongside a culturally and politically powerful secularist lobby and a plethora of equally powerful Protestant churches, not to mention the Muslims, Hindus and everyone else who had arrived to the country during the recent decades. In some of the countries from which fellow clergymen had arrived, the church held considerably more sway.

"I'd like to take the time to express my agreement with the esteemed Cardinal Rakuul", Wallin said in a calm tone, then sharpened as he continued, "As for the ecumenicism issue, the greater threats of secularism and Islam do indeed loom, for which cooperation between those of us that still hold true the teachings of the Bible and the lessons of Jesus Christ becomes necessary. However, not to such effect where the one true church would have to start to abandon its own principles. An unification that would occur in such a manner would only unify the lambs of Christ from the surface."
 
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This time it was none other than Archbishop Vincent Tattiglia who spoke.

"We need to re-awaken the old Christendom ideology. Nations are constantly becoming more and more immoral, because we are becoming less active in people's daily lives. We need to actively pursue possible converts, and demand that churches start to become more active in their communities. We cannot allow the world to slip into darkness. I will not sit by while the world grows closer to damnation."
 
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Cardinal d'Ursaque looked into the room. "Monseigneurs", he said, "we have heard several opinions concerning the relations between the Church and other religions. Are there any other concerns, maybe about the foreign policies of the Holy See? Or some other comments?"
 
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"Yes, as I stated before, I believe that the Holy See should be more active. Even in it's foreign policy. I have noticed that it has been making a few stances on foreign affairs, but I think it should be making more. Why not send aid to Ratomkirans? Or Barazi? Or the once devout Freiheiters? We need to present ourselves to the international community more, and people will begin to open their arms and except the catholic church as the one true path to god and heaven."
 
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After sitting, watching, and listening carefully, the aged Archbishop of Umbazi finally spoke. He was nearly 75, and had spent his entire adult life preaching Dominican Catholicism and keeping the faith alive in Umbazi, despite the hostility of a largely uncaring secular nationalist government.

He rose slowly, and chose his words with care, being uncomfortable with languages beside Swahili and French. "I respectfully disagree with Archbishop Tataligia. The days when the Church was a sword and a crook over the nations of the world are over. If we are to preserve the message of God Almighty, and to spread word of Jesus's love, we must not pretend to be his soldiers, we must not crave greater political or secular power." He paused, wheezing.
"I believe the direction this Church should take is a more apostolic one. Return to the roots of our faith, and set a clear and good example to the flock. Preach from the Heart, lay aside talk of power and force, and instead focus on Healing, Enriching, Communicating."

The Archbishop sat down again, ruminating, waiting for the others to have their say. He knew he didnt have much power, but what power he did hold he would use to the utmost to help those who most needed it. His countrymen. Those abandoned by kith and kin, left to die of AIDS or leprosy or worse.
The World was broken, and it didnt need powerhungry men like Tatagilia, always craving more power. Give unto Ceaser, Jesus had said of the Tiburan Empire, what is Ceasers, and Give unto God what is God's.
 
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"That is an interesting view. But if we do not start actively seeking new converts, it is likely that we will lose our 'war' with science. Look at what happened to Freiheit. The church in Freiheit was slow and inactive, and so their people fell to atheism and secularism. If we sit down a relax, than we may begin to lose our devout catholics faster than ever."
 
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"In my opinion", Cardinal Arsêne, working at the Congegation for the Faith, "there is no war between science and religion. Both are working on an other level of what is creation. But that said, I think both opinions just expressed by my dear brothers are valuable. The Church is must be humble, but caring and in this care show its vast grace for all. Therefor, I think maybe both Mgr. Tataligia and the archbishop of Umbazi ca find themselves in the words of the Primate of Wiese? Are we looking for a candidate with authority, but due to his caring personality a beacon fo all who are desperate in this world"
 

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“I second my collogue from Holy See,” said Paul Van Eyk, Archbishop of Nouvelle Valmy, “the next leader of the Universal Church must use his authority and resources for the betterment of the world’s poor and oppressed. A new pope must work with anyone he can, be they secular governments or leaders of other faiths, to bring comfort to the downtrodden, give aid to the sick, and be a voice for the subjected.

A new pope must be willing to work both aggressively and peacefully to achieve the ends of the faith. A new pope must be willing to continue and expand the reforms started by our recently departed Holy Father. These reforms must include the further democratization of the Papal States, and making it more evolved in international politics.

These reforms must also include the liberalization of the church itself. Dare I be so bold as to say that the Universal Church must begin to accept the realities of our modern world. We must allow for a review on the role of women in the faith, our position on contraceptives, and indeed, I dare say, on our Church’s position on homosexuality.

I contend to you all that, here, the best man to bring about these necessary ecclesiastic and political reforms within Church is my dear friend Monseigneur Desmond Rakuul. For that reason I ask my brothers in faith to consider him for election as the next Pontiff. May Christ, in heaven, show us the way.”

Everyone looked at Desmond.

“I am humbled by the words of my dear friend,” said Cardinal Rakuul. “I cannot say that I know the will of God, but if the divine so leads you I will accept the nomination.”
 
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"Brothers, I hear you for some time now, and it sounds more and more like political campaigning to me" spoke Rudolf Cardinal Schmid. "I hear you speak of decisions that are not even our own, but of the Vicar of Christ to make. Please, let's keep the matter focused at hand; we are not politicians, but the representatives of millions of faithful!

"We should remember that our Faith is True, because we follow what God delivered to us. It is not within our rights and reach, that we amend His commandments and decrees. Certainly, reform is necessary -and reform I support- in order to alleviate suffering, ease life, stand by the side of the faithful, and achieve a place in the 21st Century. But this cannot be done by compromising our Faith. We can see administrative reform and charity, but we cannot re-write the Scriptures themselves! The Church absolutely cannot endorse sin and immorality, because the corruption of our times calls for it!"

He didn't like this at all. This was turning, from a Papal election, to a political campaign. Instead of behaving like the electors of the world's most important elective monarchy, like they should, the Cardinals behaved like a corrupt set of politicians. Schmid, and the other bishops and archbishops from Wiese, universally frowned upon this behaviour. Their country's concept of politics and faith allowed for a peculiar system.

The Primate of Wiese, Archbishop Paul Cardinal Mayer of Augsburg, stood up. "Brothers, thus far we have several preferati among us. I find it is God's will that His Eminence, Rudolf Cardinal Schmid, is among them. Many of us have, thus far, spoken for his proposals, and I find that his moderate approach is the most wise and humble, with the most respect to our Church and Faith." Paul Mayer then sat down, as Rudolf Schmid stood up to speak again.

"I thank Their Eminences for these supportive words" he said with a respectful bow, referring to Mayer, Arsêne, and anyone else who had thus far spoken in his favour. "If it is God's will, I shall stand and commit myself to carrying our cross." He sat back down with a modest look, shutting his eyes. This was going well, he thought.
 
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Archbishop John Kulawanea of Umbazi murmured appreciatively at the words spoken by the Wiesan Primate, and also motioned that he wished to speak again. Rising once again from his seat with deliberate care, the aged Archbishop cleared his throat with difficulty. "I agree completely with Herr Cardinal Mayer. Let us not become clouded with politics and issues, and instead turn our attentions now to the matter at hand- namely, allowing God's hand to guide us in choosing which preferati would be best to become the new Head of our Church. Let us move now to the voting stage, and end this unseemly display of vanities." John Kulawanea returned to his seat, confident he had done his job at this Conclave, and had only one more duty to attend to before he could return home.
 
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