Benefits from investing in Pope

[blind-oln]

Hi everyone!

I'm playing CKII for quite some time, but I didn't really care about Pope before. Until now. I finally read wiki and I know how to help one of my bishop to became a Pope but I don't understand one thing. What are benefits from investing a lot of efforts (and money) to have a Pope chosen from one of my bishops? Can someone explain me why it's so big deal? Because I feel I missed something. I will be appreciated.

 

[Sawik2003]

I assume that you will actually be able to convince the pope to take some action he would normally refuse. Request money, give invasion sanction or excommunicate your foe. He will also be more likely to give you money because of your christian deeds. Ave Maria!

 

[blind-oln]

But is there any difference between having Pope chosen from one of my bishops or just having Pope with 100 opinion on me?

 

[Sawik2003]

It is just basically a pope with 100 opinion of you, not your vassal. The whole hassle is not worth it in my opinion, until I have basically unlimited resources or when I'm able to do it in a military way at low expense.

 

[Audoucet]

But is there any difference between having Pope chosen from one of my bishops or just having Pope with 100 opinion on me?

No.

Short of making him a vassal, no point having anything to with the Pope game.

 

[Dragatus]

The real point of getting your bishop elected first as cardinal and then as pope is not just to have a pope with 100 opinion, but to have a pope of your dynasty, because then he'll also be helpful towards other rulers of your dynasty.

But you're personally still better off setting up an anti-pope (if you're king tier) or vassalizing the pope (if you're emperor tier).

 

[BrokenSky]

You can always do it for RP reasons though.

 

[blind-oln]

So you basically say that the whole College of Cardinal thing is useless? What a shame. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Audoucet]

So you basically say that the whole College of Cardinal thing is useless? What a shame. Thanks for clarifying.

Yes. It was introduced in a DLC, but it wasn't a success. It's kind of a noob trap. I wasted a shitload of money before understanding it was useless.

 

[smellymummy]

It's not useless at all. Having cardinals protects you from excommunication. Having a pope that you put into office is not only a 100 opinion pope, when you ask papal stuff there is also an additional + to his decision making.

So for example a normal pope that likes you at 100 will probably refuse to grant you a crusade, divorce, a claim on a duchy, money or an invasion request. Whereas a pope you put into power will grant you these things.

And making cardinals is rather cheap. Especially once crusades are going on, since bishops with the crusader trait get a + to their church opinion thus more than likely to become a cardinal. And it's even easier if you just breed your own italian cardinals.

 

[Sawik2003]

Actually I haven't seen anyone excommunicated for a year and a half, perhaps even more. And I play rather frequently.

 

[CVDE]

The Pope opinion needs some work. The Pope could like me more then anyone else, but still won't give me a claim on a cruel,craven, possessed Dukes lands...Like wtf?!

 

[Xinkc]

It's useful for the achievement for the most part.

 

[Fishy101]

For all intents and purposes, the college of cardinals is a money sink.

The fact of the matter is, popes, bishops, cardinals all die rather frequently (especially popes). Lets say you spend 300g on a candidate. These are the possible outcomes:
1. He does not get elected. You just lost 300g.
2. He gets elected and dies shortly after. You lose 300g.
3. He gets elected and continue on as a cardinal but never gets elected as pope. You lose 300g.
4. He gets elected and becomes pope. You may more may not be able to take advantage of his good will. He still won't grant you money because you are running free investiture. He still won't grant you a claim. You lose 300g.
5. He gets elected as pope and you get what you want from him (this is an extremely unlikely scenario).

At the end of the day you are most likely to get results 1-4. You will most likely never get result #5.

For myself, I ignore the college of cardinal till I am empire status then I may put 10g in there every election just for fun. I have never reached a point in the game where there isn't a better way to spend gold than to throw it at the college of cardinals. Most often, I vassalize the pope and spend piety to get CBs on counties I want.