We aren't going to get into the rigours of catholic doctrine in the age of industry and mad imperialism?
Boo
Boo
- 1
Sadly I fear you are correct. We are unlikely to see a discussion on the exact nature of the Immaculate Conception and if the Pope can just make things Dogma just because he said so. Which is reasonable enough these are not exactly classical AAR subjects, even if they were definitely big things for the actual historic Pope.We aren't going to get into the rigours of catholic doctrine in the age of industry and mad imperialism?
Boo
Hmm. I do like the diplomat and his machavelian ways, but going on the warpath (in game terms) is probably a better idea...
I'm unsure who would have been better for rome and the church, but for the papal states, having a war pope on top and the sneaky spymaster running the diplomatic game might be the ideal combination. If they listen to each other.
Sounds like quite a divisive conclave
My very own Cardinal Macci towers over the curia like a colossus and it's only right he should take the reigns and lead the papal state to growth and glory! God helps those who helps themselves and it's time for the papacy to help themselves to the rest of Italy!
Reactionaries against ultra-reactionaries. Good lord it’s a scant offering, but a whole host of colourful personalities nevertheless. Here’s to the new papacy.
A conclave is probably one of the place where you can see, plots, intrigue and cynism at their best. And you wrote this very well.
A reactionary pope is probably an oxymoron, especially when there are trouble times.
Wow that was well-written, the bitterness, desperate hope over reality, pleading with God (it reminded me of the 'Father Ted' scene where something awful has happened and one of the priests says "well we could try prayer") and passionate and mutual loathing of the candidates.
Looking forward to the white smoke...
I always find Papal Conclaves fascinating. It is the contrast between the ambitious politicking and the sincere belief that the Holy Spirit is guiding the process. Cardinal Macchi should definitely be congratulated on his social efforts, in OTL he wasn't even considered Papabile in the '46 Conclave so to be leading is quite the achievement.
If Ferreti's candidacy is as doomed as the diaries suggest then there will be no Pius IX and he was quite an influential and controversial Pope. If we assume this AAR will not be focused overly on matters of theology and Catholic doctrine (which is where the really controversial decisions happened), then Pius IX is quite a low bar to clear in terms of temporal achievements for the Papal States - don't get annexed and you have surpassed him.
We aren't going to get into the rigours of catholic doctrine in the age of industry and mad imperialism?
Boo
Sadly I fear you are correct. We are unlikely to see a discussion on the exact nature of the Immaculate Conception and if the Pope can just make things Dogma just because he said so. Which is reasonable enough these are not exactly classical AAR subjects, even if they were definitely big things for the actual historic Pope.
But surely we have to have at least a bit of dogmatic discussion on the Church's response to the many "-isms", not least Liberalism, Socialism and, crucially, Italian Nationalism. Given we are going to get someone even more reactionary than Pius IX / Ferretti (who was only liberal in relative terms) the upcoming First Vatican Council could be fun and we could get something even more regressive and aggressive than the Syllabus of Errors.
Well the Orthodox are clearly the true enemy.
That was some unfortunate foreshadowing.But he has already stolen my earthly destiny so I see no reason why I would allow him to take my place in heaven.
Quite an amazing mix of presumably genuine faith and deeply immoral actions, to the level of mortal sins I would suggest. Even allowing for Lambruschini being a beaten husk of a man it is surprising how far he has fallen, not just on a practical level (he never seemed that much of a bungler earlier) but also morally and spiritually. For the sake of his immortal soul he had better hope his time in Rome includes repenting for his actions in Greece.I understand that my actions were far from moral and that my joy at the death of others is a shameful thing but my exhaustion does not allow me to worry about such matters anymore. I do however suffer in the knowledge that I have brought bloodshed to this land
That was some unfortunate foreshadowing.
Quite an amazing mix of presumably genuine faith and deeply immoral actions, to the level of mortal sins I would suggest. Even allowing for Lambruschini being a beaten husk of a man it is surprising how far he has fallen, not just on a practical level (he never seemed that much of a bungler earlier) but also morally and spiritually. For the sake of his immortal soul he had better hope his time in Rome includes repenting for his actions in Greece.
Also this incident doesn't reflect well on the new Pope. Leaving aside the ethical question of provoking an incident with Greece, on a practical level a broken and dispirited Lambruschini was not the Cardinal for the job and should have been replaced after he started bungling. Exiling rivals is all well and good, but you send them off to obscure and unimportant job (apostolic nuncio to the Coptic Orthodox church, that sort of thing). Not on something actually important.
Good grief, the pope's first thought for expansion was to invade and annex Greece? He doesn't lack for ambition, I suppose, but this is putting the papal stares directly into the firing line between Vienna and Istanbul.
So France is liberal once more and Bonaparte beckons. Austria is wobbling and who knows who else is going down this time? Prime time for a pope to step up and try to reforge conservative or liberal Europe.
I'm surprised the Papacy managed to fabricate on the Greeks at all with Lambruschini's bungling during his assignment.
Still all's well that ends well and Rome and Greece are united for the first time since antiquity, an odd first step but that's still something to make Europe sit up and take note of a vgorous new power in the Mediterranean.
Quite like to see a map of this new realm once europe settles down a little, unless as the cardinal fears this is the prelude to a great war.
Well the Orthodox are clearly the true enemy.
I wonder if a pope can convince/pressure it so that the papal states end up the protector of eastern christianity in the ottoman empire, not a great power? I don't know if that's possible but would help with prestige. And potentially allow for a quasi-Last Crusade for the Holy Land...
So aside from a unified Italy and, apparently, greece, what else is in the grand plan of the Papal States???
A compelling portrait of a thoroughly beaten man. How many more will be claimed by Macchi’s scheming?
That was some unfortunate foreshadowing.
Quite an amazing mix of presumably genuine faith and deeply immoral actions, to the level of mortal sins I would suggest. Even allowing for Lambruschini being a beaten husk of a man it is surprising how far he has fallen, not just on a practical level (he never seemed that much of a bungler earlier) but also morally and spiritually. For the sake of his immortal soul he had better hope his time in Rome includes repenting for his actions in Greece.
Also this incident doesn't reflect well on the new Pope. Leaving aside the ethical question of provoking an incident with Greece, on a practical level a broken and dispirited Lambruschini was not the Cardinal for the job and should have been replaced after he started bungling. Exiling rivals is all well and good, but you send them off to obscure and unimportant job (apostolic nuncio to the Coptic Orthodox church, that sort of thing). Not on something actually important.
And not the most important thing the papal states has done for a long time. I'm very interested in their strategy of going to war to protect Catholicism, since they can use that to fight in the balkans and in Italy itself...but if they want to go grab some ottoman stuff like constaniople or the holy land, they need to be seen as saviours/protectors of orthodoxy as well...which this war sorta flattens before they've begun.
Bit short sighted, I think.