Oh, and why does that one vassal Count of the Pope always get excommunicated at the start of the game? I see no reason why he should be, other then that the AI wants his (poor) lands.
Not really anything to do with the mod ... but AI Papal Controllers will generally excommunicate as many of their neighbours as they can ... so most likely the PC is a neighbouring realm. I am guessing that the poor count is Capua?? ... happens alot.
Germany almost always collapses because Heinrich of Germany gets Ex-commed by his rival Mathilda diCanossa of Tuscany, who usually starts as the PC.