NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: Please note that if you wish to participate in this RP, you should check out this thread:

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=134194&highlight=

Where the rules for the Conclave are covered, plus TG HVS to arrange. Thanks)

The Conclave began on a Tuesday. All of the Cardinals who would not participate in the Conclave had been moved from accommodations in St. Martha’s hostel to other places over the weekend. Inside the hostel, the kitchens and other service areas were separated from the bedroom suites, the main lounge, and the dining area by metal gates with “turns” in them for the passing-through of food and other necessary supplies.

The passage between the hostel and the Sacristy of St. Peter’s was sealed off with heavy translucent polysilicate panels that admitted light but permitted no one to see the Cardinals, and prevented the Cardinals from seeing out. These in turn were further enclosed with metal grids for additional security. In the same manner, every window in St. Martha’s was sealed. A wall, reinforced with heavy metal plating, and broken by a huge double metal door, had been constructed across the end of the Sacristy.

In the Sacristy, the Floreria had installed the rows of canopied thrones—two rows, facing one another, each with a little closed-front desk before it. Each desk and canopy was emblazoned with a Cardinal’s arms, even the thirty-one brand-new armorial crests that the Vatican heralds had been working frantically on since the Consistory, for the thirty-one new Cardinals just made. At one end, temporary sanitary facilities, and sleeping cubicles for the Masters of Ceremonies, three Monsignors who would assist the Governor of the Conclave and the Camerlengo, had been installed.

At the other end, a lectern had been installed, and a table, with a larger canopy over it bearing the arms of the College of Cardinals. Upon the table, a large golden chalice, a paten, a wooden case of pens, scissors, and other implements, a box of ballots, and a stack of mimeographed sheets. There were seventy sheets, one for each Cardinal, and each sheet bore the names of sixty-nine Cardinals—no Cardinal’s sheets bore their own names. These would be used for the first ballot only.

Beside this table, a small stove had been brought in and installed. The traditional coals had long since been replaced by propane, but on a small stand nearby were the boxes of chemicals (no more wet or dry straw) that would be added to the burning paper ballots to produce smoke, black or white.

On that Tuesday, all of the external doors from the living area of St. Martha’s were locked and sealed. The Cardinal Conclavists and their attendants were led in procession from St. Martha’s, through the Sacristy, past the huge metal doors, still open, into the Sanctuary of St. Peter’s, where they sat in the choir stalls. The most solemn moment in the Church’s ritual was upon them.

Doctrine declared that the Church in its eternal sphere was triumphant and inerrant, the living flesh that joined Man to God by the will of God, the sacrifice of His Son, and the active agency of His Holy Spirit. It was an article of faith that the Church in its temporal sphere would always be perpetuated. And indeed, in spite of the follies and corruptions of it’s worldly ministers, the church had miraculously renewed itself in century after century of time, after crises of every magnitude and description. It had survived and surpassed the Vicarship of fools and scoundrels, wordlings and ambitious men, saints and fanatics, weaklings and bumblers. Such a messy, imprecise method of choosing Christ’s Supreme Vicar on earth, dependent on these old men and their prejudices, their failings, and their hopes. Yet it had worked, time after time, and still the Church remained.

And so it began, by invoking the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to guide the Conclave and once again, produce a Vicar who would see the Church through its next crisis, its next challenge, its next renewal.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit was celebrated by Cardinal Pironio, the Archpriest of St. Peter’s, assisted by deacons and subdeacons. The ritual was solemn and measured, unhurried and weighted with centuries of tradition and sanctity.

The Epistle was from Acts: “In that time, Peter commenced and said, ‘men, brethren, the Lord charged us to give the good news to the people, and witness that He is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead…”

The Gospel, delivered in Pironio’s melodious, orotund tones, was from John: “He who enters the sheepfold not by the door, but climbs in another way, he is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”

When the Mass was over, they remained in the choir stalls, for the first of the two Meditations enjoined upon them. Sixtus VI himself had written it, and entrusted it to be delivered by his Papal Major-Domo, Peter Cardinal Shan Tsao-Li. The Cardinals settled into their stalls, and if some of them hoped that this would not be a lengthy oration, well, who could blame them? They were old men, and some suffered from sciatica or lumbago.

Cardinal Tsao-Li approached the pulpit, and laid his hands gently to either side of the podium. His Latin was beautiful and precise, almost unaccented, and his voice had a not-unpleasant vibrancy, a delicately liquid quality that made it very pleasing to hear.

“My brothers in Christ, upon us now is the solemn duty to choose from among us a man who will become both servant and master of us all, a man who can sit in Peter’s Chair, walk in Peter’s Shoes. How can such a man exist? Peter walked with Christ, heard the voice of Christ, drew in his nets at Christ’s Word, and ultimately, like Christ, was crucified for the bringing of the Good News of God’s salvation to men. In the millennia since that crucifixion it seems impossible that men can have become better, holier, more worthy, than Peter himself.

“Yet when the Lord chose Peter, who could have seen besides Christ Himself, the stamp of greatness in a simple fisherman? We must not forget that it was the Spirit of God within Peter, not education, or wisdom, or noble deeds, or intrinsic holiness, which made him the rock upon which Christ founded the Church. And we must recall to ourselves the promise that has been fulfilled again and again—that Peter shall come among us, and lead Christ’s sheep, and be Vicar unto His Church.

And therein lies the paradox—the inseparable relationship of the presence of the Holy Spirit within the Shepherd, and the needs and welfare of the flock.

“We are called Princes of the Church, and given honor, justly or unjustly, beyond any merits we may have as men, because we have taken up the staff to follow Him, been consecrated to His service, and been given the cure of souls. We hope that within us dwells that which may make us acceptable to the Holy Spirit, but only through grace is that presence given unto us. And only through that grace, not through any merits, or wisdom, or temporal honors accorded to us, can we make a choice acceptable to God.

“And what do we know of what is acceptable to God? It is written in the Gospels: “‘Peter, son of John, dost thou love me more than these?’ He said to him ‘Yea, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him ‘Feed my lambs.’”

“Brothers, who among us will feed the lambs? The Faithful look to the heir of Peter for the Words of Life, but words alone do not feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit the bereaved or imprisoned, or open the doors of the Word to the ignorant and uneducated. It is for them—the hungry, the sick, the uneducated, the imprisoned, the bereft—it is for them that we make our choice. It is only our dedication as priests that entitles us to make this choice, and what is the dedication of the priest, but dedication to the flock of Christ?

We are not asked to determine the future course of the Church; we are not asked to influence the counsels of the great. We are not even charged with agreeing with one another on how to achieve the ends we are pledged to effect. It is asked of us that we deliberate in humility and charity, and that we open ourselves to the workings of the Holy Spirit among us. We are asked to do so with dispatch, that the Church not be left without a leader too long in these difficult times. And finally, we are asked give our obedience to him chosen from among us to be the servant of the servants of God.

As we begin this Conclave, then, let us reflect upon these duties, and humbly ask the Lord our God to take us, willing instruments, to work His will for the Church. Amen.”

With the slightest of bows, Cardinal Tsao-Li returned to his seat.

The Master of Ceremonies, Monsignor Rinaldi, then took charge of the proceedings, and led them back into the Sacristy. Here di Corneliano, the Camerlengo, ordered the bells to be rung, to warn all who did not belong within the Conclave enclosure that they must leave.

The security personnel, performing the last of the sweeps to ensure that no electronic communication was possible between the enclosure and the outside world (except for one telephone locked in a cubicle off the lounge in St. Martha’s, to accessed only by the Governor of the Conclave in an extreme emergency,) were shepherded out of the enclosure by one of the Master of Ceremonies’ prefects. Then the ritual search was conducted by the Master of Ceremonies and the Architect of the Conclave. They went to each room, each closet, each separately enclosed space in St. Martha’s, the passage, and the Sacristy. They pulled aside draperies and shone light in dark corners, declaring each room free from intruders. Finally, the Noble Guard marched out of the Conclave area, followed by the Marshal and the Architect. The huge doors at the end of the sacristy were locked. On the outside, the Marshal turned his key; on the inside, the Master of Ceremonies turned his key. The door was sealed. The Marshal’s flag was raised over the Vatican. The Cardinals could not leave, no one could enter, no message could be passed, until the new Pope was elected and named.

In the Sacristy, di Corneliano and the Governor of the Conclave, Cardinal Esteban, administered the Oath of the Conclavist to one another, and then carried the Bible to each Cardinal in turn, so that he could take the oath with his hand upon the book:

“ I, (name,) promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly- elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself. I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will make me subject to the spiritual and canonical penalties which the future Supreme Pontiff will see fit to adopt, in accordance with Canon 1399 of the Code of Canon Law.

So help me God and these Holy Gospels under my hand.

"Look sharp, people," said Comandante Arturo Scalia as he inspected those under his command for this unusual mission. They were one and all dressed in simple black uniforms reminiscent of the soldati of the Dominion, with minor differences in cut, and lacking any identifying insignia, save the blue and silver patch proclaiming them employees of Genovese Securities.

All seemed to be in order. Now to tag di Vianello and Andrenei to hammer out the details necessary to blend the local force and theirs together as seamlessly as possible.

There would be no more 'incidents', he vowed firmly. Not on his watch.

Leopold VII swore inwardly as he landed in Rome. He hated travelling. But Frasier had been ill, and someone had to be here to watch that babbling nincompoop, Ver'chan. Around him, his bodyguard waited at attention.

In the distance, Abbott Ver'Chan tagged his suitcases, and started to walk in the opposite direction. He had been recalled to the Monastery in Roania, and would have to leave quickly. He suddenly opened his phone. "It's starting? Well... I can't vote, but I can observe."

(OOC: Roania, please check TGs)

The Commisario of the Corpo di Vigilanzi, the Commendatore of the Noble Guard, and Questore Maurizio Buonamini of the Roman Polizei were already in the Security Command Center that had been activated for the duration of the Conclave. Part of the Pope’s underground bunker system that had been started more than sixty years ago, and unobtrusively expanded and improved during every major construction project since, the system had links to all of the Vatican’s surveillance systems. There was another “Command Center,” of course, above ground and accessible, but that was used mostly for display and the routine coordination of personnel shifts, etc.

A lieutenant in the Vigilanzi had been sent to guide the representative of Genovese Security, Comandante Scalia, through the checkpoints and into the SCC. Another lieutenant was already hosting Scalia’s number two in the overt “Command Center,” combining personnel rosters and discussing assignment rotations.

The areas around the Museums and St. Peter’s Square showed a considerable security presence already. In the Square, it was mostly Roman Polizei and a few Carabinieri, and inside the Vatican itself, the Noble Guard in full uniform (but no less effective for the medieval panoply) stood at all the obvious places among the museums and monuments. Plain-clothes vigilanzi were also present unobtrusively but in considerable numbers.

If one had looked hard and carefully, the iceberg-tip of the Vatican’s electronic security and surveillance systems might have been discernable. Discreet cameras (meant to be seen, actually, the really covert ones were effectively concealed,) audio systems, IR sensors, and motion detectors were all circumspectly located at carefully calculated points. While the main issue during the Conclave was the problem of potential terrorist or other disruptions focused on the Conclave itself, the Vatican never forgot the incalculable value of the art and cultural treasures in its curatorship. There would be no opportunities offered for plunder while attention was focused around St. Martha’s and the Basilica.

The SCC was not large, but it had its own espresso machine, and coffee was available. A young religious brother was running errands and assisting the security chiefs, and he offered Scalia his choice of coffees.

Cardinal Nikos Threehorn felt almost overwhelmed by the solemn responsibility entrusted to him.

"It is true, my choice must serve the faithful--all of the faithful Catholics. But surely it is also my responsibility to have particular care for the Catholics in Effrenata?" he thought. "For my Maccadon brethren, di Corneliano would be the best choice, certainly. But for the sophisticated Churches in the Effrani regions? And the Svaldi? Perhaps Cardinal Hume's ideas would revive their interest in the Church."

It was a difficult decision. He decided to wait, and hear what some of his more experienced colleagues would say.

When the Bible was brought around to him, he put his hand on it very solemnly, and spoke the oath with sincerity.

OOC: Checked, and replied to.

IC:

Ver'chan spun around angrily, leading his retinue back towards the embassadorial limousine. Leopold VII watched this, amused. "Right... now, I'm looking for someone in the Security Forces here... a Commisario, or something..."

He looks at his entourage. "I guess they wanted a Militant order's view, or something..."

Cardinal Sebastian Etcheaberria of Pergutoria is just getting off his private jet wtih the new Comrade-Emperor of Pergutoria, Rodrigo Justinian I. As he proceeds, he considers the choices at hand, carefully weighing between temporal power, for he belives the Papal States must be reinstituated or a Liberal Church, which of a movement he has headed back home. Meanwhile, Emperor Rodrigo Justinian I considers bar-hopping with other national leaders here, then settling down and praying in the local Jesuit monastery.

OOC: Um, has the actual conclave started or are we just Rping the cardinal's arrival. Ah well it sounds like it started.

IC: The doors slamed shut. Iron locks clicked into place. It had begun. All windows covered and the only source of illumination was the candles all around them. It was almost time for the first round of voting. All these weeks of waiting had led to this one event. The most amazing event Lehman would ever experience.

OOC: Um, has the actual conclave started or are we just Rping the cardinal's arrival. Ah well it sounds like it started.

IC: The doors slamed shut. Iron locks clicked into place. It had begun. All windows covered and the only source of illumination was the candles all around them. It was almost time for the first round of voting. All these weeks of waiting had led to this one event. The most amazing event Lehman would ever experience.

Jim McCormack, Cardinal Archbishop of Ladovy Hokej and Primate of It's Provinces, heard the doors lock and the keys latch. Now began the most important and exciting event of his life. He already had a clear idea of who he would vote for, and he prayed that the Holy Spirit would ensure the right man got the job.

"So help me God, and these Holy Gospels under my hand."

One by one the Cardinals swore. Matthew Cody, the big, white-maned American; soft-spoken Zerba, a Cardinal of the Ruthenian Rite from Tesh Hrvaca; Gambini in his gravelly growl, looking fiercely around as though to challenge any who might be thinking of giving any less than their best for "his" Church; Hume, gentle and a trifle austere; T'ngaka, short and almost dainty, with the odd glottal clicks of his native bush speech infusing the words; Renard, with implacable precision...

Each of them grave and deliberate; each, without a doubt, pondering in their hearts... 'Will it be he...? Or he....? Or perhaps I...?" ...and seeking out the papabile, 'he-who-has-the-makings-of-a-Pope,' amongst them.

Once they were sworn, they would adjourn for a meal and a brief rest before undertaking the first of the official sessions of the Conclave--the reading of the second Meditation, and a formal discussion among the Cardinals of the qualities they each sought in a Pope. To be followed, again, by a brief rest, then the celebration of Vespers, and finally the first vote of the Conclave.

(OOC: Another day or so for participants to check in. Please DO check in with a post, even a brief one, so we know to expect and count your votes.)

Ver'chan also read the words, his lilting voice lending them little weight. His accent immediately marked him as out of place, as did his insistence on retaining the robes he had worn as an Abott.

<========>


Leopold's motorcade drove him into the Vatican. He watched, curious, and with distaste, at the chaos outside the door. "And this is the land of the Church... enough to make me schism!" He roared with laughter.

The other Roanians laughed as well. Rome was a far-cry from their own carefully planned and organised cities.

OOC: Just count my inacurate last post as me checking in...AND SO IT BEGINS

(A brief OOC note: As of now, it appears that Roania, Effrenata, Pergutoria, Ladovy Hokej, and Largent will be electing the Pope. If anyone else wants in on the act, please check in ASAP!)

Cardinal Nels Loyola Strieder took the oath in a soft voice, carefully concentrating on the words. It was a little difficult to concentrate, as he was going over, in his mind, the words of the second Meditation--the one Cardinal Esteban had told him the Holy Father had wanted him to deliver.

He didn't know why. He wasn't eloquent, or brilliant, or well-known. He had spent the last forty years working in the poorest, most devastated parts of Pro-Saxonia, still devastated by the terrible wars and fallout, trying to preserve the Church and its traditions in the face of the People's Glorious Council's determination to re-make Pro-Saxonia a "modern and enlightened" nation--a nation without God.

He had been imprisoned more than once, had to spend some years in exile in neighboring Anti-Saxonia (where he was welcome only because he was persona non grata in Pro-Saxonia,) and had often had to flee from town to village to refugee camp with no more than the clothes on his back. In all that time, he'd been tempted to despair, sometimes, at what seemed to be a slow snuffing-out of the Church's light.

But four years ago, a shakeup on the PGC had resulted in the program of "Freisheit"--the PGC's attempt to re-connect Pro-Saxonia with the rest of the world by showing off the "improvements" they had brought about for their people. Since religious pogroms were considered "backward" under the currently fashionable political thinking, the more obvious manifestations of suppression had been abated, and elderly Pro-Saxons had been permitted to attend occasional Masses openly. Nels himself was released from prison, and an uneasy "don't ask/don't tell" truce had been established between the PGC and the Bishop of Aarchen, as he had been then. If he wasn't too obvious about baptizing, celebrating masses, marrying, and burying the Faithful, they would look the other way.

It wasn't normalization, not anything close, but it was a ray of hope. And then had come the news that the Holy Father wanted him, in Rome, to become a Cardinal. He'd been overwhelmed by the honor. And now, this further honor.

"The Holy Father thought that a man with your experiences over the past forty years would be able to provide a unique perspective on the Faith and its value," Cardinal Esteban had told him. "Our brothers can benefit from that perspective as we undertake this critical task."

He'd spent the last few days practically cloistered in his room in St. Martha's, writing, praying, and re-writing until the words had looked like so many meaningless henscratches on the page. Finally, last night, he'd given up, laid it in the hands of the Holy Spirit, and gone to bed for a good night's rest.

This morning he'd gotten up and taken one more crack at it. It would have to do.

He watched as Cardinal Esteban and Cardinal di Corneliano finished with one row of Cardinals, crossed the space between at the end, and began working their way up the other row. Each Cardinal laid his hand on the Bible and said the words, softly or loudly, in a multitude of accents, quickly or slowly and deliberately... So many men, so many views of what the Church needed in a Pope.

OOC: I strongly reccomend you TM the url to Jeruselem, Dread Lady Nathicana, Pantocratoria, Excalbia, and... *gah* Vegana.

If I was the sole elector, we'd have some complaints.

(OOC: Many thanks for the suggestion, Roania, but to our knowledge, Pantocratoria, Excalba, and *gah*Vegana have not indicated an interest in participating... Will send to others, however.)

OOC: Please excuse my tardiness.

Cardinal Esteban and Cardinal di Corneliano come to the row where the solemn faced Cardinals of Valinon sit. Only three of the Valinor Cardinals are eligible to attend and vote at the Conclave due to the ancient laws regarding age limitations. The first is Cardinal Relond Valdemar, the second Cardinal Winston Northcliff, and the last is recently named Cardinal Viktor Rhienhold.
Valdemar takes the oath slowly and solemnly in a hushed tone. Northcliff speaks with a clear, but clipped accent. And Rhienhold finishes the Valinor taking of oaths.
“ I, Viktor Rhienhold promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly- elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.
I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself. I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will make me subject to the spiritual and canonical penalties which the future Supreme Pontiff will see fit to adopt, in accordance with Canon 1399 of the Code of Canon Law.
So help me God and these Holy Gospels under my hand," his own voice has a slight waver to it, besides the somewhat harsh accent still common to a degree in a mostly Germanic Valinon. Rhienhold has barely come to grips with being named a Cardinal, much less to be one of the men that could select or be selected as the next Pontiff of the Church.
The three Cardinals now refocus their attention on Strieder, awaiting what he has to say with apt and observant faces.

(ooc: Add my apologies for tardiness. Real life can be so inconvenient...)

Hilario Ximenes recited his oath in a quavering voice. Looking about the room, he saw he was one of the younger men here. Although his flock numbered over 200 million Catholic souls, still he felt like a novice in this company: moved by the speeches, called to help choose who among his new colleagues among the red-hatted were papabile.

So many white faces. Was it time, at last, that a non-European Pope be chosen? Did race even matter, or did belief matter still more? And were the needs of the European churches the same as those of the third world?

He mused in silence, then moved to introduce himself to Cardinal T'ngaka. A man who, he thought, might be pondering the same sort of questions.

OOC: tag IC post coming soon

Cardinal Wittmar very much felt his age. He was full of sorrow over recent events in Lavenrunz, yet he knew that sometimes time erased troubles; it was not for him to judge swiftly nor to act hastily. Here was where he was needed, not just for the future of Catholic Christians in Lavenrunz, but everywhere...

There was a moment of terrible silence when the second Roanian cardinal attending this conference stepped forward. The little man's face was deeply engraved with wrinkles, and any time someone looked directly at him, he winced. Cardinal Yaakov Zhiosky was one of the 14 Survivors of the Roanian Catholic Church, those cardinals who had been harshly treated and almost killed by the rebellious Warlord Matthias. The others had died of shock and their injuries shortly after the war. But Yaakov had held on, considering it his holy mission to live to see an end to the terrors which had been performed in the name of his beloved God. He and Ver'chan did not often see eye to eye, but the younger man nonetheless walked forward and, against all precedent, helped the man to the bible.

Yaakov's words were murmured, and the room silenced once more in order to hear him.

"I, Yaakov Rochanovta Zhiosky, promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly- elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself. I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will make me subject to the spiritual and canonical penalties which the future Supreme Pontiff will see fit to adopt, in accordance with Canon 1399 of the Code of Canon Law." He coughed, a deep coug. Though still within the voting age, none of the other Cardinals or Bishops in Roania expected him to last much longer.

Regardless of if he lived or died, this was his last conclave. The trip to Rome was too much for him.

His word's strengthened "So help me God and these Holy Gospels under my hand."

OOC: Ver'chan will be voting for the most conservative candidate, and Yaakov for the most liberal.

If he lasts through it. I'm... planning something. Nothing that affects the rest of you, except maybe for HVS, and if he wants me to explain to him and to the rest of you, I will do so gladly.

Cardinal Plien of Daistallia, a short plump man of mixed Whilan (Tibetian) and Stalli (swiss-German) stock, smiled a pleasant smile as he placed his hand on the Bible.
He spoke the words slowly and with great deliberation.

“ I, Tienzing Plien, promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly- elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself. I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will make me subject to the spiritual and canonical penalties which the future Supreme Pontiff will see fit to adopt, in accordance with Canon 1399 of the Code of Canon Law.

So help me God and these Holy Gospels under my hand."

"And so it begins." He thought to himself.

Cardinal Augustus Brown looked curiously at the new cardinal arriving. He saw the Roanian Cardinals Ver'chan and Yaakov Zhiosky who had just sworn their oaths. "God, last reports they were dead. This should be interesting with their votes for the Pontiff. I need to chat to Yaakov Zhiosky ..." he thought. His relations with Ver'Chan were not the best and he disliked the man anyway.

OOC

Anti-Christ server :evil:

John Cardinal Dutt felt the doors swing shut behind him. It was a lot like the sound of the prison doors back home in High Umbrage that had slammed shut on so many of his co-religionists since the state became a Holy Calvinist Empire. Here at least Dutt was safe. In Umbrage, the church had been forced to make so many compromises. He hoped the Pope had received his letters bearing the news that he had been forced by circumstance to take some extreme measures, like the ordination of married men, to minister to a persecuted flock. And he hoped that the new Pope, whoever it would be, approved.

[OOC: It's been so long. Which character am I using in this RP? Sorry for the slight inactivity. What have I missed?]

Ver'chan walked Zhiosky to a bench, and sat him down. Then he returned to his own seat. Zhiosky shook, nervously, when he saw Brown staring down at him. His voice creaked, and he spoke, in a dry voice, "You were... part of," he gave a hacking cough, "Johannes's party, weren't you?"

(OOC: OK, we have enough to get going. If there are any players accepted late, please consider the oath taken and do a brief post to show you’re “here”—an observation on the nice furniture or something ;)

Sancto, last we looked your Cardinal was Paul Brown?

Roania, we’ll trust you on this one, just let us know if there’s something you’re uncertain about.)



With the Cardinals all sworn in, Esteban returned to the lectern at the front of the room. “My brothers, it has been a long morning. We will take a short break for lunch now, which will be served in the main Refectory in St. Martha’s. It is a good time for all of us to become better acquainted with one another, some of our dear brethren we have not seen here in Rome for many years… and some of our new colleagues.”

“Some of us remember the last Conclave, and even the historic Conclave of 1978. But for many of us, this will be our first Conclave. So forgive me, brothers, if this is not new information to everyone, but it does seem a good time for a few brief observations on how the Conclave will be conducted.”

“As you know, under Canon Law, we were forbidden to discuss the matter of who should succeed the Holy Father while he lived. Now, however, our duty has changed. Now it is our duty to have this discussion, moving from the general—the qualities and abilities the Church requires of her Pontiff at this moment in time, to the particulars—what man among us best embodies those qualities and abilities?”

“Each day, we will have a session, to discuss these matters, and each day, we will take one or more (OOC: In RP time, only 1x per day!) votes. We will have both formal sessions, which will be mediated by myself or the Camerlengo, and informal times—meals, and rest periods—when we can discuss these things privately among ourselves. The Church has found this method, over the centuries, the best way to thoroughly consider the very grave and important matter of election.”

“Each day will begin with Mass, which will be celebrated in the Clementine Chapel. We will stop for a meal at about midday, and resume at two-thirty. At six we will break again, for Vespers and another meal. In the evening, we will vote, if we have not already done so, and when the results of the vote are tallied, we will adjourn for the day.”

“Within this framework, we must discuss everything of importance in the selection of a Pontiff. This afternoon’s session will begin with the second Meditation, to be given by our colleague, Nels Loyola Strieder of Pro-Saxony, at the Holy Father’s particular request.”

Here, Esteban paused to smile at Strieder, and spared him a compassionate thought, hoping the Holy Spirit would send him sufficient inspiration to keep seventy-two old men who had just had one of Sister Agnes’ meals awake.

“After that, we will begin our first discussion. I would ask you to prepare, brethren, by identifying the single most difficult challenge facing the Church in the upcoming years, and being prepared to describe it briefly for us this afternoon.”

He looked to the other end of the room, where the two Monsignori who were serving as prefects waited, and nodded to them. They opened the doors that led to the passage back to St. Martha’s.

“In Nomine Patri, et Fili, et Spiritu Sancto” he raised his hand in blessing, and they were done until 2:30.

Francis T’ngaka noticed Ximenes making his way towards him. He walked to meet him, slowly, for he vanished easily in a crowd—they were all, without exception, taller than he, who barely topped five feet. He smiled up at his new colleague.

“Such an exciting time,” he mused, in his soft, clicking sing-song. “And such an interesting assignment, if I may call it that. To choose one challenge, from so many… I am Francis T’ngaka, brother. I think you are from Tanah Burung? I was so pleased to year of your elevation. The Church in the Pacific is sadly under-represented in the College.”

They blended into the black-and-red stream (the Constitution of the Conclave dictated that they all wear the full-length red-piped cassock, with red zucchetto,) and moved with the others back through the enclosed passage to the hostel. The light coming through the heavy polysilicate panels was diffuse, unearthly, and added to that sense of removal from the ordinary world, that enwrapped them.

“We in Africa have so many challenges, it is almost impossible to pick just one—Islamic militant governments, the doctrinal challenges that our newest converts present, the sadly inadequate ranks of our native clergy and our over-reliance on mission orders… May God bless their work!” he added hastily, “It just seems we have been struggling so long to build a viable Church among our own people. And the bad taste of colonialism still lingers, even with the most carefully-ordered mission. But we still need them, God knows… that is another challenge. Still so many lingering in the darkness of pagan beliefs, and worse, no beliefs at all. Atheist communism has taken a terrible toll in some areas.”

He looked up at Ximenes. “How is it in Tanah Burung?”

In the legendary Hotel Bernini, David Tedeschi, Vatican reporter for the Bellarian Empire’s most prestigious news service, sat in the Bristol Bar and watched the limousines arrive from Fiumicino, carrying their cargos of diplomats, dignitaries, heads of state, assistant heads of state, wannabe heads of state, press barons, special emissaries, and other here-to-be-seen visitors arriving to observe the Conclave and attend the eventual coronation.

The head office had dispatched him a colleague on temporary assignment, Marisa Tartugare, and he had given her the less-prestigious (but possibly more interesting) beat of keeping an eye on the less costly hostelries—the Palatino, the Universo, and others—where the eminent religious dignitaries would be accommodated. At least, those that were not staying at various embassies. He’d cut a deal with a stringer for the Strada Roman news service to keep an eye on those and page him if anything interesting seemed to be happening there.

And the head office had sent one of their top-rank crime reporters to monitor the trials of the “Warriors of Jesus,” which had been postponed until after the ceremonies. Since he had nothing else to do, Arvol Neyrin had decided to do a profile on the augmented security that was surrounding the Conclave, after the terrible incident with the old Pope’s body. They’d get together later this afternoon and compare notes.

Tedeschi squinted from his vantage point. Was that…? Yes, it was! He murmured a note into his talker. “The elderly, exiled Princess Hadria of VaraSaxony is here. Rumor has it she will be trying to use the elevation of the Archbiship of Aarchen to leverage an official statement from the Vatican’s Secretariat on the Saxon Civil War and the fifty-year division of her country, possibly even a recommendation from the Vatican that the UN take up the matter.”

The old lady vanished into the hotel’s main doors, and he looked to where the next car was pulling up. Days like this, he wouldn’t trade his job for any other job under the sun.

(OOC: OK, tomorrow the Meditation and the session, and the first vote. We’ll also pick our first scrutators from among the current participants:

Roania, Effrenata, Pergutoria, Largent, Ladovy Hokej, Valinon, Tanah Burung, Belem, Lavenrunz, Daistallia, Jeruselem, High Umbrage, and Sancto.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything if you’re chosen, we’ll just be sharing that day’s voting results with you—a list of how many votes were received and who got what, though not who voted for whom. In the Conclave, we’ll make a more general announcement.)

Ximenes swallowed audibly. A single challenge for the church? He hardly knew where to begin: the subject was worth a whole library of books. Truth be told, the feeling reminded him of being a student in mission school.

Well, no doubt he'd think of something. He strode towards Cardinal T’ngaka and introduced himself, experiencing for the first time since he had arrived in Rome the unaccustomed feeling of towering over another man.

"Atheist communism?" he asked with a tentative laugh. "Is there much religious communism?" Instantly he regrets it: he has not the facility with jokes of some of his brother bishops. Nor the right to speak with familiarity to one of the more respected figures of the African church. Hastily, he composes himself and answers the question he has been asked.

"It is the same, and yet different, in my country. There is no shortage of vocations in Tanah Burung. Our church has had to stand on its own since the war of independence led to all foreign missionaries being forced to flee. We have many priests, though too few resources. It's so unlike the situation here in Europe -- sometimes, i feel we should be sending missionaries to the developed world, where vocations are so much fewer. Though no doubt it would be presumptuous of us, who are so young in the church. But i wonder, Eminence: when the majority of Catholics live outside Europe, must the Pope be a European? Are we ready to gamble on someone whose face reflects the many faces in the pews?"

double post

Cardinal De'mato has arrived at the conclave and waits for the vote to begin to elect the Pope.

"I, Manveru Cardinal Rávion, promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly-elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself. I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will make me subject to the spiritual and canonical penalties which the future Supreme Pontiff will see fit to adopt, in accordance with Canon 1399 of the Code of Canon Law.

So help me God and these Holy Gospels under my hand."

So said the newly-minted Elven Cardinal, his hand upon the Bible, having just arrived in the Vatican by gravshuttle, scarcely weeks after returning to Vinyatírion following the consistory. He was amazed indeed that so shortly after his creation as a Cardinal, he would have a chance to help elect a new Pontiff. As far as he knew, he was the first Elf to have this chance... God was truly wonderful to give him the opportunity.

OOC: My apologies for not reading closer. This post has been edited for inappropriateness.

Cardinal Augustus Brown was chatting to a nearby Cardinal. "This is your first Pontiff conclave? I was at the one which elected Sixtus VI, and these occasions are always unpredictable. Only God knows what will happen regardless on your choice as the Catholic Church is not exactly free from corruption and back-street deals, but we are all too human." he said to the young Cardinal.

OOC

Not Paul Brown :)

Cardinal T'ngaka looked at the plate of food rather doubtfully--pasta was alien to him, but he smiled and seated himself, considering his colleague's question.

"There are certainly many worthy Cardinals who are not European--I was most impressed by Cardinal Tsao-Li's eloquence. If the man who has the qualities needed in a Pope is not a European, or has a face that is not white, that should certainly not deter us from making him our choice. But I would not like us to be laid open to the accusation of making a political gesture. The most important criterion, I think, should be: Who can unify our Church?"

He toyed awkwardly with the pasta, then gave up and used knife and fork to reduce it to smaller pieces. He smiled appreciatively after swallowing. Although the tastes were strange to him, they were delicious and savory.

"There are so many different views of the Church, so many different needs. We must consider how much flexibility we can apply in permitting the Bishops of each nation to meet the particular needs of their churches, versus the overall responsibility to guard the Deposit of Faith, and retain the necessary clarity and strength in our Doctrine. That will not be an easy choice for any man, regardless of the color of his skin."

(OOC: Akunasus, please check TGs)

After lunch, the Cardinals reassembled in the Sacristy. The Camerlengo, this time, blessed the gathering, and introduced Cardinal Nels Loyola Strieder to his colleagues, to give the second meditation.

Rather hesitantly, the Pro-Saxonian came to the lectern. His balding head bent, briefly, as though he were muttering some private invocation. Then he lifted a thin, rather gaunt face, scored with deep lines, glanced down at his papers, and read:


Brothers in Christ, most of you do not know me. I am very new to the College, and this is my first trip out of my homeland. So it was a little puzzling to me, when I was told of the great honor that the Holy Father had done me in giving me the task of delivering this meditation. I was told that he wanted me to speak on the subject of the needs of our Church in the current times, but truthfully, brethren, the only part of the Church I know well is my own. So I will trust in the Holy Father’s wisdom, and simply tell you of the needs of my Church, in Pro-Saxony.

For more than fifty years, now, the country that was once VaraSaxony has been divided by civil war. In Pro-Saxony, we were ruled first by a puppet Dictator established by the Dominion of Forellia, then by a fascist military junta who saw the Church as a threat to their control of the people, and now by a rigid, atheistic socialist oligarchy. During all this time, the economy of Pro-Saxony has stagnated and deteriorated, bowed under the weight of the military machine needed to stave off the “threat” of reunification with Anti-Saxony, which has itself become a consumerist, secularist, puppet democracy under the sway of the Bellarian empire.

It is under these conditions that we of the Church have tried, for the last fifty years, to keep the Faith alive. It has not been easy, and sometimes I have despaired. Our Bishops were killed or died in the labor camps, and a great many of our priests. Our monasteries and convents were confiscated and the religious sent to labor camps and prisons. Only a handful remain, and until the last four years, they could perform no religious functions openly. It has been a heartbreaking, terrifying time for us.

Yet as I was trying to imagine why the Holy Father would want such a grim, extreme tale to inform this meditation, I was struck by the kernel of truth that he in his wisdom had most likely already seen.

My brothers, the Faith in Pro-Saxony is not yet dead. In spite of the best efforts of powerful and ruthless men to eradicate it, using all the political and technological tools available, everywhere I have gone in the past four years in Saxony, I have found— Catholics!

Catholics, hungry for the Mass, eager for the Sacraments. Catholics gathered round a disguised priest or brother or nun, who has been baptizing their children in secret, teaching the catechism at terrible risk in the most appalling conditions. Catholics who have guarded the Faith, passed it on like a jewel to their children, stringing rosaries of dried beans and crudely-carved wooden crosses, preserving their devotional statues and icons and missals more than fifty years, bringing them out after dark, with the curtains drawn, to say a novena or simply to pray together.

How can this be? I asked myself many times. Why is it, that at the risk of their lives, these humble people cling so fiercely to something that can put no food on their table, bring no coals to their empty stoves, put no shoes on their children’s feet? For more than fifty years? More than two whole generations—nearly three! How can this be? What is it that inspires them to take this terrible risk?

It is more than simply the hope of eternal salvation, my brothers. Eternal salvation is a cold and distant thing to a man who is wondering how to feed his hungry children; to a woman whose baby lies sick and freezing in an unheated shack with a corrugated tin roof. No, it is more than a hope of eternal salvation that inspires these people to keep our Faith alive in their hearts, and to pass it to their children. What, then?

It lies in the very foundations and cornerstone of our Faith, brothers. To whom did Christ preach the Good News? Whom did he comfort, heal, teach? These very people—the least important, the least powerful, the most in need of hope and comfort. We are the Church of the people. Over the centuries, to a greater or lesser degree, but always to some degree, we have given voice to the voiceless. We have sought mercy, advocated for justice, and nurtured compassion. We have been the source, not just of schools and hospitals, but of understanding and comfort.

Christ took on flesh that he might know the pains that men experience, that the Son of God might speak to men as a man who was intimately acquainted with their sorrows. There is no greater gift that one man can give another than true understanding, true compassion, and true love. This, above all, is what keeps the Faith alive in Pro-Saxony. Perhaps this, above all, is what is needed of our Church today, everywhere in the world.

It is for the people of God we must choose our Pontiff, not for the political ends of nations, the public relations value to the Church, the balance of power among conservative and liberal, the specificities of doctrine. It is the people of God whose daily offerings bring us here, Princes of the Church, to make this decision. We make this decision for them. Amen.


With a slightly astonished look, the Cardinal turned from the lectern, and walked slowly back to his seat, and bowed his head.

There was a brief silence. Then Esteban approached the lectern, and gestured to the two prefects. As he spoke, the Monsignors proceeded along the two rows of Cardinals, and passed to each the first ballot and a scissors. Each Cardinal’s ballot contained the names of all of his colleagues, but not his own.

Cardinal Esteban thanked Strieder for the meditation, and led the Cardinals in a prayer to the Holy Spirit. Then looked down the rows stretching through the room, and said, “Brethren, you have had some time to think on this matter. What say you, about the most difficult challenge facing our Church today?”

Cardinal Zhiosky rose to his feet. "I... must speak. I feel, as should all true Catholics, that the greatest threat reaching us today is tyranny! Tyranny done in the name of the Church!"

Ver'chan tittered nervously at that, but held his peace otherwise. The old man continued. "Why, in my own homeland, we have just been freed from rulership by the devil himself, when the cruel prince whom we call Alexander Duellist was struck down by God's righteous anger!"

Ver'chan's mind started to go blank with terror. He hissed urgently, "Yaakov... you're going to get us in trouble..."

Zhiosky looked back at him, not seeing him anymore. "And his crime? His greatest crime was to claim divine right! He claimed to protect the church while not letting us preach our guiding message of freedom! He used us to secure his own power, and when the Warlord Matthias arose with his promises of destruction to those church-men who cared for those of other races, he stepped back and let it happen, until all the world called for him to do something!" The man swept back a tear.

"He murdered in the name of the church, plundered his own people in the name of the church, and obeyed that arch-heretic, Richelieu, in the name of the church! And this is a story repeated today, across the world! Only the names change! For too long has the Church ignored its duties! We must put an end to people who abuse our name in such a manner! My compatriots do not see it, but I do. I do. We must find a way to put the Church back on the right footing, put an end to such cruelty and malice done in our name!" He paused, and whispered, almost to the air, "or there will come a time when all us Cardinals will suffer the fate of my friends." He sat back down.

Ver'chan prayed that there were no government agents in Rome. Otherwise, his life could be counted in nano-seconds.

Demato's response to the Cardinal of Zhiosky: "You do realize that non humans aren't to be considered in the talks based on true faith since it is impossible for them to have any true faith. They were not forged in the image of God they are most likely creations of the devil and henceforth can not be true followers. Therefore the Church has no reason to defend the non humans when human followers are suffering,"

Cardinal Esteban responded with unruffled calm to Demato’s outburst. “Your Eminence, I cannot recall whether any of our brethren from Belem attended the meetings of the Papal Commission on Sentience, a number of years back, but the resulting Papal Encyclical was, I am aware, widely distributed throughout the Church.”

He thought about it for a moment, and made a decision. After all, he would be retiring when this new Pope was chosen. What better time to spend a chip or two. With a benign, yet stern, gaze, he fixed his eye on Cardinal Renard, the Cardinal Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. The Congregation was the arbiter on Doctrine, and Renard was its mouthpiece. Renard was also one of those who had vigorously dissented from the conclusions of the Papal Commission, and opposed the Encyclical right up through its promulgation.

“Perhaps our brother Renard, can elucidate the matter from a strictly Doctrinal and theological standpoint.”

Renard, who had listened to Demato’s remarks with an expression of grim satisfaction, narrowed his eyes slightly and just restrained himself from a minatory nod to Esteban, who smiled blandly at him. With the air of one goaded against his will, he stood, and gave his response with a voice that would have dripped loathing had it not been so sternly-disciplined.

“As you say, your Eminence. The Commission on Sentience was established by the late Holy Father to examine the position of all sentient beings in relationship to God and the Holy Church. Proceeding on already recognized Doctrine (not excepting the work of the great scholar and demonologist Antony Margrethan,) its conclusions were thoroughly established, based on the received dogma that only the Heavenly Father can create new life. Satan cannot make, he can only mar and distort. Up to this point, the conclusions of the Commission were unanimously adopted.”

Here his slightly-withering gaze rested briefly on Demato. Renard did not think of himself as an Eldarophobe or a xenophobe of any kind, and he detested what he perceived as the intellectual and spiritual laziness that produced such attitudes. His objections to receiving non-humans into the Church were founded upon other grounds altogether.

His voice thinned a little as he continued, and it could be noted that his gaze never once rested upon Cardinal Ravion. “The Commission proceeded from this basis in recommending that since non-human life is created by the Heavenly Father, the salvation designed by God to re-unite His Creation with Himself should therefore be available to non-human life, should they choose to embrace it. No human mind can encompass God’s purpose in the creation of non-human life,” (here, Renard’s tone took on just the faintest note of irony for a moment, as though he himself had some doubts in this area, before returning to its disciplined neutrality.)

“Therefore it is better, on the principle of selecting the least damaging potential error, to extend the Communion of Holy Church to nonhumans. Therefore, ‘In Apostolatum Eldari’,” (and suddenly his voice rounded and filled, with a steely note,) “is the currently received Doctrine of the Holy Church, which must be considered authoritative within the magisterium unless—or until—another Pontiff at some point in the future requires the re-examination of this Doctrine, and such re-examination results in new conclusions.”

With a final, scorching glance at Esteban, he sat.

Esteban smiled blandly in return. “Thank you, dear brother. I am well aware that there are some among us who are not comfortable with this Doctrine, yet as our good brother has just reminded us, there is nothing that we can do here to change it. We are met for a different purpose altogether. Although of course, your Eminence is entitled, even demanded,” he nodded to Demato, “to consider the promptings of your particular conscience, even in a matter where it differs from received Doctrine, in making your vote for the next Pontiff.”

“At this time, perhaps, it would be wise to take our first vote. Before we begin, I will select today’s two scrutators from among the brethren. When the vote is completed, these two brethren will join me here to assist in tallying the votes. While we do so, the discussion will continue, facilitated by our Camerlengo, in the event that this first vote is not decisive and a subsequent vote needs to be taken.”

“You have your ballots. Please cut the name of the man you are voting for from the ballot, and place it in the Chalice as it is carried around. Please place the rest of the ballot in the box also being circulated.”

As he spoke, the two prefects started up the line of Cardinals on one side, the first with the large golden chalice, the second with the box.

(OOC: Please review the voting rules in this thread if you are uncertain about the hows/whys of the voting procedure:

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=134194&highlight=

Among the candidates are any of the Cardinals posted by us (HVS) who have already spoken in this and the Consistory threads, along with the four Papal Counselors who figured largely in the Consistory and Death of the Pope threads. For convenience, here are links to the long ‘character establishing’ posts on each of these Cardinals:

Renard: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2723646#2723646

Hume: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2734423#2734423

Di Corneliano: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2756359#2756359

Gambini: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2782318#2782318

This first vote will commence on 4/2/04 GMT 0500, and continue until 4/3/04, GMT 0500. Please do not post your vote! TG your vote to the Holy Vatican See. We will tally the votes tomorrow, TG results to the scrutators (but NOT tell anyone who voted for whom—which we intend to forget ourselves immediately after tallying,) and then announce the results in the Conclave.

Today's scrutators are (picked out of a chalice--well, coffee cup--): Sancto and High Umbrage.

Please also note the “hint” about discussion continuing! ;) Feel free to post…)

Scalia accepted the coffee with a quiet word of thanks, partaking heavily of both cream and sugar, stirring as he spoke. “It would seem you have things well in hand here,” he observes, his eyes roaming over the surveillance equipment. “As Lieutenant Costanzi is no doubt informing your adjutants, we have with us one hundred operatives, all armed with non-lethal rounds, various crowd control measures, and stun batons. They each have a secondary weapon with live ammunition. Instructions are clear there, unless otherwise ordered, to be used only if other measures will not serve. Our employers were most adamant that our actions reflect well on the Church and their names, after all.”

He paused, sampling the hot drink and nodding in satisfaction. “We’re lucky enough to be able to communicate via a relatively recent tech development the brains have taken to calling ‘Channel Spook’ – basically, QE communications. We can guarantee secure, discrete comms between all our people, and any groups you assign them to on account. Now – where do you want us, and how would you prefer we play this?”


ooc: apologies for tardiness

"Cardinal Tsao-Li's address was a wonderful keynote indeed," Ximenes agreed. "The Church would do well in the hands of such a man. But i agree: the Pope should be a bridge. I just worry that sometimes, the local problems of the European church are interpreted as the problems of the universal church." He wishes he had remembered to bring some sambal to liven up the pasta.

He was surprised to hear what sounded like a challenge to the late Pope's teachings on elves, while the Pontiff's death was still so recent. It seemed somehow indecent. When his turn to name the church's greatest challenge came, he spoke with some trepidation.

"Doctrine is important, and i do not mean to challenge it or underestimate its worth," he said slowly. "But i fear that our greatest challenge may be living too much in the word. If doctrine is placed above service, when our tradition is named a dead one and not a living faith, then we have a challenge. But i know it is one the Church is already meeting, and will meet more in the years to come."

Cardinal Augustus thought "This is going to be fun. Trust the Roanian cardinals to start a commotion. Poor old Cardinal Zhiosky got unnerved by the civil war and he's lost his self-control.".

He decided to speak up "Men of God, we have pressing times ahead of us with our faith under challege from all sides. The future of the Roman Catholic Church is at stake, and it is time we reached are united in our efforts to save Christianity from itself and the evils of our current world. While doctrine and dogma have served us well, we must address pressing issues and reach out to more follows so the faith of Jesus is not crushed or else the Anti-Christ and Satan will win. God's kingdom is our hands ..."

Threehorn spoke slowly. "It is difficult to choose one challenge among so many. My people in the Maccadol regions have very different problems than the urban Effrenati of the Seven Tribes and the Svaldi regions. But our problems are mainly logistical--nothing that cannot be met with sufficient tangible resources."

"So I would have to choose the more intractable problems of our Faithful in Orado and Ceyce, in the Svaldi hilgals, and the prosperous regions. Their faith has become-- well, I don't really know how to describe it, but-- an accessory to their lives, a piece of jewelry that they put on when it suits them, and leave in the drawer the rest of the time. It does not live for them, the way our Maccadol brethren feel it."

"Perhaps some of this is simply the differing natures of our tribes. But I think it goes deeper than that. We walk a fine balance, between preserving key tenets of our Faith--respect for human life, maintaining the sanctity of the Sacraments--and being 'convenient' enough to keep the worldly ones of the cities even nominally interested in staying Catholic."

"What can we do to interrupt this cycle? To make the faith a real and living thing again for all of our sons and daughters?"

With a rather uneasy shrug, he sat down.

(vote TG'd)

Pasco di Vianello nodded to the Genovese Chief. He appreciated a businesslike approach. “There are two areas in particular that require the most careful attention. The first is the Square. As you can see from this security picture taken some days ago when it was empty, the collonade and the rest of the architectural frills make it a nightmare for surveillance.” He brought the picture up on a screen:

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/16929/square.jpg

“That’s bad enough, of course. But look at it now on the live monitor…”

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/16929/crowd.jpg

“As you can see, there is no such thing as too much coverage. Especially since my friend Buonamini here, tells me that some of those “Warriors of Jesus” they have in custody have been dropping hints about ‘something happening’ during the Conclave.”

Buonamini nodded, surveying Scalia. “Perhaps, Pasco, if you requested it as a courtesy, the Vatican’s special security forces might be allowed to question these individuals. I daresay they have, ah… a slightly different ‘take’ on interrogation? Perhaps they can get something from them that we have not been able to elicit, as of yet.”

Di Vianello looked sorely tempted. “Basta, Maurizio. You know it is more than my job is worth to do anything that might result in any accusations of, ah… improper questioning methods.”

Buonamini shrugged. “Alas. Like my government, your employers are far too sensitive to the putative ‘rights’ of these scum.”

Pasco looked like a man sitting on a chairful of tacks. How desperately he’d love to be present at a really thorough interrogation of the mal’occhi who had disrupted the Holy Father’s funeral. Nevertheless, he knew perfectly well the view that Curia would take of such a thing. He shook his head. “Stop tempting me. Let us return to the business at hand.”

He brought up a schematic diagram of the Square and the surrounding points. “We could use extra staffing and surveillance at all of these ground-level points, and we have only been able to minimally staff the rooftop points here,” he pointed, “and here.”

“This one, that overlooks the approaching streets, is particularly critical.”

The Cardinal whose chair happened to be next to Yaakov Zhiosky’s was Cardinal Esgal Ghattas. He listened to the old man’s fervent declaration with an air of something like awe, and his eyes lighted with approval. He also noticed the other Roanian Cardinal’s nervous glances at his colleague. When it came his turn to speak, the tall, slender Cardinal with skin the color of café au lait stood and said. “I endorse what our brother Zhiosky has already said. There are too many places where the Church has been twisted into an instrument of terror and control for the purposes of secular governments. If we are to foster real faith, true faith in our Lord Jesus and his message of love and redemption, this must stop!”

Short and sweet. He sat down again, smiled at Zhiosky, and made a vow to himself to stay unobtrusively within sight of the elderly Cardinal for the duration of the Conclave, except when he was locked in his room at St. Martha’s. It would not be hard, they had already walked down to the earlier meal together, and although they had not conversed, it had seemed natural to sit together.

(OOC: Please note, a couple more hours on the 4/2 vote. Next post will begin the 4/3 vote.)

Cardinals Dutt and Paul Brown went back to their seats, and Cardinal Esteban came up to the lectern.

"The results of the first vote are:

Peter Shan Cardinal Tsao-Li, 12.5%
Guido Cardinal Gambini, 25%
Nels Loyola Cardinal Strieder, 12.5%
Michael Stephen Cardinal Hume, 37.5%
Jean-Paul Cardinal Renard, 12.5%

Sixty-six point seven percent is required for election.

There is no election."

With the help of the two prefects, he placed the ballots in the little stove, added the chemicals for black smoke, and incinerated them.

In St. Peter's Square, outside, the waiting throngs saw the black smoke, and murmured. News commentators filed updates.

Inside the Sacristy, Esteban smiled at his colleagues. "My brothers, I suggest that we stop now for Vespers, and another meal. We can perhaps have one more vote this evening after that meal, and then resume our formal sessions in the morning, after Mass."

"In the mean time, I would remind you that we have the priceless blessing of one another's wisdom to share in informal discussions. This is a grave decision and we should all seek any guidance from one another that will assist us in making it to the greatest benefit of the Holy Church."

With a blessing, he adjourned them for Vespers, said by Monsignor Patta, one of the Prefects.

(OOC: This means that the vote for 4/3/04 is commencing, and will continue until 0500 4/4/04. Please remember to TG your vote! The scrutators for this vote are: Menelmacar and Ladovy Hokej.)

When the Vespers were said, they all filed into the passageway to return to St. Martha's for the meal and a little relaxation. Esteban noted a rather glassy look around Cardinal Hume's eyes, and left him to himself. Gambini, on the other hand, looked simply bemused.

Esteban sat with Cardinal Zerba. The Ruthenian Cardinal's eyes were twinkling a little.

"Relieved, Julius? Or disappointed?"

The dark, bearded, stocky Cardinal chuckled. "Oh, decidedly relieved, dear Vicente. Decidedly. And feeling a bit sorry for my colleagues."

Esteban shrugged. "I am not too surprised that Peter's name came up, but I admit to some astonishment at Strieder's. Not that he isn't a very worthy Cardinal..."

"That was a very eloquent medidation he gave. It reminded me, how recently my own people had similar problems with repressive governments. Which brings up a question--which is worse? Governments that try to suppress the Church altogether? Or governments who perpetrate terrible human rights abuses in the name of the Church?"

Esteban shook his head sadly. "Both are dreadful, Julius. It would be a difficult choice. Our new Holy Father will have great challenges ahead of him."

"Yes, as I said, I am feeling a little sympathy for our colleagues."

Yaakov was walking along, thinking, when all of a sudden a ferocious demon jumped out in front of him. "Bleegah!"

The old man just collapsed. The demon stared down at the body. "Oh... oh my God..." the creature ran.

In a matter of seconds, Ver'chan came running down the path. "Yaakov! We..." he stared at the body, and turned to the monk following him. "Get an ambulance!"

Cardinal Brown was wandering past and rushed to scene "Ver'chan, what's happened to Yaakov! Jesus Christ, hope he's not dead considering what's been through." He quickly checked Yaakov's pulse and breathing as well as heartbeat. "Looks like heart attack, Ver'chan. We need attention quickly!" he calmly reported while looking very concerned.

Cardinal Plien happened by just in time to hear "..heart attack."
"We must start CPR immediately. "
He leans over, checks the pulse again, checks the airway, then looks up.
"Yes! CALL FOR AN AMBULANCW NOW!"
He feels under the robes for the proper location, and begins CPR.
After a quick breath, "Brown, can you assist?"

Cardinal Plien happened by just in time to hear "..heart attack."
"We must start CPR immediately. "
He leans over, checks the pulse again, checks the airway, then looks up.
"Yes! CALL FOR AN AMBULANCW NOW!"
He feels under the robes for the proper location, and begins CPR.
After a quick breath, "Brown, can you assist?"

Brown replied "Sure, no problems. It's been a while since I tried to save someone, about 20 years ago but we have to something now ... Yaakov looked a little fragile during the vote.".

" Quick. No time to spare."
Plein begins compressions.
" one ... two... three ... four ... Five! Breath!"

Ximenes sat pondering the vote. More support than he had expected for the liberal Hume. If he was able to phone home, he knew that news would be greeted joyously by Bishop Mangunvijaya, head of the church in Tanah Burung. And yet there was strong support for the other end of the spectrum, too. And the states that wielded the faith like a weapon to intimidate their citizens, would they accept Hume as their Holy Father? It worried him. He headed over for a word with Cardinal di Corneliano. "Father, will the mission churches be tended by those who lead in the balloting, do you think?"

Suddenly he heard the commotion around the Roanian cardinals. Dear Lord, not more violence.

Lehman heard the comotion and quickly stood up. He rushed as close as he could get to the poor man on the floor. "Is there any way I can help?" He asked hastily. This is insane, perfect timing for a heart attack!

Lehman heard the comotion and quickly stood up. He rushed as close as he could get to the poor man on the floor. "Is there any way I can help?" He asked hastily. This is insane, perfect timing for a heart attack!

Brown looked a little frustrated while assisting Plein. He looked up to Lehman "Got a mobile on you? We need to get Yaakov to hospital quickly. The earlier the better or else he might meet up with Sixtus before us ...".

As Brown breaths, Plein shouts out "Back off - give us room to work!"
He begins compressions again.
"one ... two ... thre... four ... five ... Breath! Call for the medics - NOW!"

Lehman wsas shoked by the question, "A mobile phone in here! Of course not! But i'll get one." He quickly hurried off asking several people when he remembered, his brother. Quickly he contacted him and he was down in no time with the phone. Lehman dialed in and ambulence. Minutes later the sirens blazed as the vehicle pulled up. Lehman ran to Brown and helped him lift the man towards the ambulence but soon age cought up with him and a paramedic had to take over.

Brown sat down looking weary "Jesus, Sixtus gone and now poor old Yaakov is on his way as well. He's tough, but I wonder what caused him to suddenly drop like that. I can't see anything unpleasant around here."

Plein drops down next to Brown. "No idea. "

(OOC: Largent, please take note that no mobile phones were permitted, a thorough search was done both manually and with electronic instruments to ensure that they would be excluded.)

One of the prefects came rushing up to Cardinal Esteban, "Eminence! Cardinal Zhiosky!!" He turned and led the way at a pace that was a little difficult for the older man to keep up with. There were a dozen or so Cardinals crowded around poor Yaakov.

The other prefect had rushed to the locked "turn" where the St. Martha's staff liaison was posted, and requested the presence of a doctor, who was on call and came speedily.

"Please, everyone, stay back. Eminence, what is it?" the doctor asked Cardinal Brown.

Brown explained briefly.

The doctor examined the Cardinal's body, confirming what they already knew, and remained beside it, quietly.

By that time, Cardinal Esteban had arrived. "Dear God. Monsignor, please find Cardinal di Corneliano and send him to me. Then see that all of the Cardinals return to the Sacristy. We will have to break the seal here to have our poor brother's body removed and taken for a more thorough medical examination."

He looked around. "And I think," he said quietly, almost to himself, "We will need to have our security forces investigate briefly, as well."

He stood, and waited for di Corneliano, who had still been in the Refectory, but was approaching rapidly, stuffing the napkin that had dangled across the front of his cassock into a pocket. "Vicente? What..?"

He saw the body. "Oh, no!" In distress, he knelt beside it. The doctor shook his head, sadly. "Oh, no... Mary, Mother of God, be merciful..."

"Eugenio," Esteban gently reminded him of their duties. He looked up, rather blindly, for a moment, then seemed to recall himself. "Yes, of course, Vicente."

The Cardinals were starting to file slowly out, through the passage into the Sacristy. The Governor of the Conclave and the Camerlengo went to the locked closet where the only telephone available resided, connected directly with the Marshal of the Conclave's office, in the Apostolic Palace. He explained the situation.

"And, Virgilio..." Esteban's usually genial voice was a trifle grim, "Have Pasco send a couple of men up here. We have done our best to clear the area quickly, but... Oh, well, it may be nothing. Still, I would prefer to have someone look over the area carefully. We will lock ourselves in the Sacristy. If for some reason it is not possible for this area to be re-sealed tonight, have the temporary sleeping cubicles brought into the Sistine Chapel."

With a heavy heart, he hung up the phone. They left the little closet to find the corridor almost empty, just the Doctor and one of the Prefects-- and Cardinal Ghattas.

"Esgal?"

The tall, angular Cardinal looked deeply upset about something. He shook his head, and looked at the doctor and the prefect, then moved away, slightly, gesturing for the two Cardinals to follow him.

"Eminences... I was right over there, when it happened..." he pointed, and they saw the turning in the corridor, where a column and a statue made it difficult to see anyone approaching. "I saw it... or rather heard and saw it."

His face was stony, his jaw set.

With a feeling of impending dread, Esteban said, "Yes?"

"I heard someone make a loud exclamation-- a strange noise, like 'keega!' as I came around that corner. Then I saw someone standing next to Cardinal Zhiosky's body." He swallowed, shook his head, as though he didn't want to say what he had to say next.

"Dear God have mercy. Vicente, it was a man in a cassock--wearing a fright mask!" He buried his face in his hands.

The Camerlengo and the Governor of the Conclave looked at him, then at one another. "God have mercy, indeed," di Corneliano said, heavily.

"Vicente, you and Esgal had probably better wait for the security men. I had better get back to our brethren. We will say a Mass for the Dead."

Rávion had looked just about everywhere for Cardinal Esteban... couldn't find him. He was unaware as of yet, about the fate of Yaakov. This was indeed frustrating, as he needed advice... new to the politics of the higher echelons of the Church, and not overly familiar with the candidates, Rávion was looking for someone who could give him insight. Guidance.

And maybe that fellow over there could, instead... Cardinal Thiandoum, Cardinal Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Or something along those lines... Rávion wasn't entirely sure yet. He wandered over.

"I don't think we've met," he said with a gentle smile. "Manveru Cardinal Rávion, from Menelmacar... I was only recently elevated, and now thrust into all of this! It's quite overwhelming, and the names on the ballot... I know relatively little about the men behind them."

OOC: My, my I have to be away from my computer for a few days and all this happens. *sigh* Sometimes having a life can be so inconvient. After reading pages two, three, and four I'm still a tad bit confused in regards to where everyone is and what exactly happened to Yaakov, I don't suppose anyone could be kind enough to telegram me that information and anything else relevant. And I will try and give this thread extra scrutiny over the next few days, that way I can be more active than I have been being. Urrrggghhh....I'm having to do this OOC bit on one to many threads today.

The North African Cardinal returned his colleague’s smile. “It can be bewildering. I remember when I first arrived here in Rome, four years ago. It took quite some time to orient myself.”

He pondered. “Well, technically, every name is on the ballot—even yours and mine. But realistically, I’m aware that I don’t have a chance for election, thank God. The Cardinals who have already gotten some votes certainly deserve serious consideration, although the only ones I know at all well are Cardinal Renard, Cardinal Hume, and Cardinal Gambini. Any of them would be a worthy Pope, and I had hoped that my dear friend Cardinal di Corneliano would receive some consideration, as well, but perhaps the needs of the Church for his particular talents are not as urgent right now.”

“I know Cardinal Tsao-Li only a little, and Cardinal Strieder not at all, although I was impressed by his meditation.”

Thiandoum’s head canted a little. “The value of guidance of the Holy Spirit cannot be underestimated, of course. One thing to keep in mind, Eminence, is that the Papacy has an odd way of changing men. I remember when we elected John-Paul II—at the time, we felt that he would be a strong leader in the fight against Communism, and a voice of moderation in the Church’s affairs. And truly, his leadership was inspiring in helping to end Communism, but the Holy Spirit guided him in a very different path than might have been expected, in regards to doctrine.”

“When John-Paul II died, he had done much to bring conservatism back into the Church as a strong and unifying force, and there was considerable impetus to continue in that direction—which I believe had much to do with Sixtus’ election. Yet once he was elected, Sixtus considerably slowed the conservative rush, and consolidated and steadied much that had perhaps been at risk of too extreme a direction, if you understand me? I think that disconcerted some, yet it has been just what the Church needed.”

“So a man’s past record is not always the best indicator of what he might or might not do, as Pope. The Holy Spirit transforms the man in office in unexpected ways, sometimes. Yet usually, if you look at the character of the man, you can see the things that will remain fundamentally the same. Karol Wojytla was always a man of strong, active convictions and an appreciation for doctrinal simplicity. Erval Mralina was always a man who felt that conflict destroyed more than it created. These are perhaps the little clues that are more helpful in choosing a Pope than opinions or even past actions.”

He smiled, again. “And one can observe a man’s character, with the help of the Holy Spirit, from relatively few clues, sometimes. Do not underrate yourself, my friend. Your people have unique perceptions, and it is possibly the workings of Divine Providence that those perceptions come to be available to us at just this time. Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit within.”

He chuckled. “Well, that is probably not very helpful… They say of me, you know, that I say “yes and no” better than any man in the Church. But it is the best I can do.”

They had reached the Sacristy, by this time, and went to seat themselves in their own chairs. The Prefect made the announcement of Cardinal Zhiosky’s death, and everyone bowed their heads to pray.

Scalia watches the interplay with a carefully neutral expression, taking note of subtle reactions and changes in demeanor, and making some quiet calculations of his own.

"Then, with your permission, I'll give directions for a couple squads to take position there then," he says, nodding in confirmation of the last location. "And another each to the others. The rest, I'd suggest taking up the perimeter, coordinating with the polizei and the rest. I'll make certain our sharpshooters are among those assigned to the rooftops."

Taking another slow sip of his coffee, he took on a thoughtful look.

"As for these 'Warriors'," he begins carefully, "Perhaps just the introduction of new faces would help jar loose some information? Perhaps even the mention of reputations? While granted, some of our methods [i]may[/b] be somewhat different from your own ... such hints of possible incidents should not be overlooked."

With a meaningful glance at both Buonamini and Di Vianello, then back to his coffee, he continued. "It would be a shame if we were not to use whatever resources we have at hand, especially given the potential consequences. I do not know about yourselves, but I can guarantee we are capable of operating with the utmost ... discretion."

Buonamini was looking at him intently. "After all, Pasco... they are officially in Italian custody."

Di Vianello said "They are in Italian custody, true..."

Every man has his moment of temptation, di Vianello realized. Suddenly those parts about Pontius Pilate in the Bible became so clear.

"Well, then I suppose that's something we should take into consideration. No reason not to have you at least examine the situation, er... up close. You do have that reputation for discretion, and they are in Italian custody..."

As he spoke, the phone rang. "Di Vianello."

"Si, Eminence..." his brows went up.

"Si, Eminence... I will have two men up there immediately. The body is being removed to the morgue, yes? We will have a man meet it there."

"Of course, Eminence. Absolute discretion, yes. I assume the Marshall will handle the communications?"

"Si... ...Well, Leopold is in Rome, I believe..." He knew Leopold was in Rome.

"Of course, Eminence. Immediately." He rang off.

"Well, gentlemen, it will not be a dull Conclave. We have our first casualty, Cardinal Yakoov Zhiosky. Apparent heart attack, but His Eminence Cardinal Ghattas says that he saw a figure in a cassock and a fright mask standing over the body."

"Comandante, perhaps we should both attend on the good Cardinals. This is a most upsetting development. Maurizio, if we might impose upon you for a crime-scene squad, molto allegro?"

The Questor nodded and thumbed a button on his mobile communicator.

"Patta, you take over here, and get Marsatti down here, too."

With set shoulders, he led the way through a maze of underground passages and corridors, some relatively public, some requiring knowledge of well-camoflaged doors for access, and eventually they went up a stair, and came out in the staff region of St. Martha's.

One of the Marshal's prefects was already there to meet them. The small parlor off the Refectory, where the telephone had been locked, had been opened and fitted with several chairs and a table. Cardinal Esteban, Cardinal Ghattas, and one of the Monsignori who were serving as Esteban's prefects were already there.

Without much preamble, Esteban gave them a timeline of events... they had all arrived for a meal in the Refectory about 90 minutes ago. Some had finished earlier than others, and returned to their rooms or to other sealed areas in the hostel. A little over (Esteban looked at his watch) twenty minutes ago, they had heard the commotion. Cardinal Ver'Chan had apparently been first to find the body, then Cardinal Augustus Brown. From there, things had gotten a little confused. There had been half a dozen or so Cardinals right near the body when Esteban had arrived.

The prefect, Monsignor Virgilio Matanzas, explained that he had arrived a few moments before Cardinal Esteban, and had gone to bring the doctor, returning immediately. Some more Cardinals had arrived, Cardinal Plien, Cardinal Lehman... He couldn't remember others, but he was sure there had been some. The doctor had examined the body, which Cardinal Plien had been trying to revive with CPR, but Cardinal Zhiosky was definitely dead. The doctor had attributed it to a massive, instantaneous mycardial infarction, but was doing an autopsy to verify that.

Then Cardinal Ghattas told his story. "The figure turned and ran. I was too surprised to move! And when I did think of moving, I thought I should go for Monsignor Matanzas or Monsignor LePaige, to get the doctor. I had turned away and was going back toward the Refectory when I heard Cardinal Ver'Chan approach, and say something to Cardinal Rovallos--you know, the Franciscan... I stopped to look, and by that time I saw Monsignor Matanzas coming, so I just waited to tell someone what I saw."

He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Holy Virgin, how I wish I hadn't seen it..."

Ver'chan was accosted en-route to the hospital by the one man he had most desperately wanted to avoid. Leopold. "Ah, a word, Cardinal..."

"Yes, your Grace?"

"It's a terrible thing, isn't it... a terrible thing. And I would hate for our other cardinal to be in danger..." Leopold left the words hanging as two heavily armed Inquisitors stepped out from behind some doors. "Thus, these men will be accompanying you everywhere."

"My lord, I assure you I am perfectly safe..." Ver'chan tried to speak, but Leopold raised a hand.

"I will be reporting this incident to Her Highness immediately. Now, if you'll excuse me, I myself shall be accompanying you to the Hospital, as Grand Master of the Order of St. Micheal."

Ver'chan nodded, meekly.

<=========>

The Roanians entered the room, and Leopold moved to Zhiosky. "This is no good..."

Cardinal Valdemar approaches Northcliff and Rhienhold with a brevity, his hands shaking as he nervously clasps and unclasps his hands.
"Have you heard?" he says querying his fellows from Valinon.
"Heard what, Relond?" Northcliff says, holding his place in the book he was reading with his index finger.
"Cardinal Zhiosky...he is...he is dead," Valdemar finally says.
"How," Rhienhold says in breathless tones.
"I don't know the details, exactly," Valdemar says taking a seat at last. "There are several conflicting versions circulating and it does not seem anyone that I have spoken with has the full picture of the events, but it appears someone apparently scared Zhiosky to death. He died of a heart attack from the shock. It is a catastrophe, a catastrophe," Valdemar says, looking at Northcliff his face drawn.
"It casts a pall over an already strained time, that is certain," Northcliff says. "But we cannot falter here. God give us strength in this time more than ever, it seems like our tests will be many indeed."
Rhienhold nods in solemn agreement, "Let us pray that it can be seen to that no further tragedy comes to this proceeding. I have no doubt we will learn in full what has transpired when the Mass for the Dead is completed and we have been reconvened."

(OOC: Roania, please check TGs

Everyone else, please remember to VOTE--last call for 4/3 vote)

The Marshal of the Conclave, Archbishop Tenda Nataka, telephoned to request Leopold VII visit the Vatican, sending a Vatican car and driver to pick him up at his residence. He was told that there was a very important matter to impart to him, from the Conclave, and to please come alone, with only his personal guards.

When the Roanian noble arrived, he was ushered immediately through several layers of security and into the office of the Marshal of the Conclave, the “Extern” leader of the Vatican state during the period when all of the Cardinals were sealed incommunicado within the Conclave. Archbishop Nataka rose to meet him, and bowed politely.

“Your Excellency, we have very grave news for you, and for Roania. It is with the most profound regret that I must inform you that Cardinal Yaakov Zhiosky passed away within the last hour or so. The cause of death, confirmed by the Vatican physicians, was a massive coronary infarct.”

“The Camerlengo, and the Governor of the Conclave, have instructed me to convey their deep sorrow and sincere condolences to Roania upon the loss of such a wise and holy Cardinal. His body has been taken to the morgue here, and while we would greatly appreciate the honor of being allowed to provide a final resting place for his Eminence, we would be glad to prepare it for transit to Roania, where we feel sure the Faithful will wish to take their farewells.”

The Archbishop, who was a graduate of the Vatican’s School for International Affairs (perhaps the most rigorous training program for diplomats ever created, and refined over centuries,) watched the man closely, gauging the impact of the rest of his news. He looked shocked, certainly, although not overly surprised—after all, Zhiosky’s health had certainly been frail—and grieved, though he contained it well.

“Your Excellency, I am afraid there is more. Some—doubts—have been raised with regards to the circumstances of Cardinal Zhiosky’s heart attack. There is reason to investigate it further as a possible homicide.” He saw Leopold look up, sharply, his eyes narrowing shrewdly, and lifted a hand to forestall the inevitable questions.

“Your Excellency understands, of course, that since this occurred during a Conclave, and nothing, not even the death of a most holy Cardinal, can be permitted to break the seal of the Conclave, this matter must be dealt with by the Vatican’s own security staff for the remaining duration of the Conclave. We hope that you will be reassured to know that not only are the Corpo di Vigilanzi and the Polizei of Rome investigating thoroughly, but a private firm, Genovese Security, from the Dominion, will be bringing the most modern and scrupulous investigatory protocols into the matter.”

“Their findings will, of course, be shared with you and any liaison you might care to appoint, on an ongoing basis during the Conclave; and when the Conclave is concluded, you will be given the fullest possible access to the area and personnel involved—excepting, of course, some of the Cardinals who will be leaving immediately. However, any who have relevant information will have statements taken prior to their departure. I think you can rest assured that our combined security staff will make the most thorough and meticulous investigation.”

He let his hand fall. “If you will give me the name and a description of your security liaison, I will see to it that he is connected with our staff. And of course, I am here to answer any additional questions you might have.”

In the Sacristy, the Cardinal Camerlengo waited until the Vespers prayers were ended, then strode to the lectern with a grave look on his face.

“Eminences, we know that rumors have already begun to circulate. I remind you that our primary and sacred duty here is the election of a Pontiff. It is a terrible tragedy to lose a colleague in the middle of this most holy and solemn duty, but the duty comes first.”

“To be perfectly clear, Yaakov Cardinal Zhiosky suffered a massive heart attack, just an hour or so ago, after the meal. Although some of our colleagues tried most valiantly to revive him, the doctors say that he was, in effect, dead even as he fell. He was an elderly man and in frail health, and our condolences go to Roania, and to his colleague here,” he nodded gravely to Ver’Chan, “on their loss.”

“Logistically, we must accommodate a full investigation of this death. I will not deceive you, brothers, there is some reason to believe that perhaps the attack might have been precipitated by an act of malice. This will need to be investigated.”

He sighed. “To my knowledge, this has not happened in modern times before. Nevertheless, our traditions and priorities are clear. We must preserve the integrity of the election and the seal of the Conclave. A few of us, who were close at hand at the time of his Eminence’s death, may need to be interviewed by Vatican security staff. If so, it will be in the presence of a Prefect of the Conclave, and the only matter to be discussed must be, upon pain of the most severe Canonical penalties, the precise events of that brief period of time. Nothing else may be discussed, everything else remains under the seal of the Conclave.”

“We hope that the physical investigation of the premises of St. Martha’s, including a full search of every room, will be completed by this evening. If not, temporary sleeping cubicles will be set up in the Sistine Chapel to enable us to remain under the Seal while the investigation is completed.”

“I would remind all of my brethren, most solemnly, that discussion and speculation upon this very painful matter is entirely out of order, given the nature of our duties here.”

He paused, looking around the room to emphasize the point. His usually genial face looked a trifle drawn under the lion’s mane of white hair.

“For now, of course, the best tribute we can pay to our dear brother will be the Mass…” he looked over his shoulder, where Monsignor LePaige and Cardinal Tsao-Li were assembling the portable altar. “When that is completed, we will take a short rest, for a little coffee, or wine. By that time, the rest of our brethren should have rejoined us, and we can continue with our task here.”

He stepped behind the screen, and assumed the vestments to celebrate the Mass. The other Cardinals all waited, heads bowed, thinking of the old man who had spoken out with such heartfelt passion that very day.

In Jeruselem ...

Cardinal James knocked on the Queen's door as the guards watched him. "You can come in Cardinal James" the Queen's voiced filtered through the door. James walked in and bowed to the Queen.

"What's the matter Cardinal, anything to the Conclave I assume?" the Queen inquired. "Yes, new from our informants. Cardinal Yaakov Zhiosky died of Roania had a heart attack and died. Some suspect foul play" he replied. "Poor Yaakov, I'm sure he'll be in good company with Sixtus and John Paul. Any rumours?" she looked concerned. "No, we'll be in touch about the situation should anything else happen" James bowed and left.

Scalia nodded in quiet understanding. He took up his comm device, requesting the presence of Alberigo and Nattore, and relaying the deployment messages to Lieutenant Costanzi, trusting that orders would be followed to the letter. He kept his tone quiet, watching the others closely as Di Vianello took his call, wrapping up quickly so as to pay closer attention.

His brows shot up at the word 'casualty' and arched further as the explanation continued.

"Lead on," he said simply, then turning to Patta, "When my men arrive, please have them wait for me here."

The man took notice of their path, committing to memory as best he could the ins and outs of the place, though soon even his head was swimming a bit.

Upon arrival, he listened quietly to Esteban's recounting, taking out a small datapad and making notes as the man spoke.

Ver'Chan first on the scene ... interesting. Note to ask when each man left. Was there any discussion beforehand that might yield any clues?

He made note of each name as it came up, jotting down additional notes and questions as they came to mind.

Plien trying CPR ... any sign of life before that?

Ghattas' story unsurprisingly caught his attention.

Convenient, that. Still ... we are dealing with religious orders here, and by that measure, some may very well be the unsophisticates they seem. By the same token, some may be twice as slick as they present themselves. Sweet Jesu, this is going to be a mess.

"It would seem that an investigation of the scene is in order, as well as setting up interviews with the witnesses as soon as possible, while memories are still fresh. I am sorry such measures need to be brought into play, but I can see no way around it, given the circumstances. Comissario, Questore ... ?" He looked to them questioningly, awaiting their decision.

Di Vianello nodded, decisively. "But yes, this must be done. Still, we will make every effort to do it in such a way as to minimize the disruption. The crime scene team will begin their work immediately. Monsignor, if you will permit access through the west door?"

Matanzas nodded. "Yes, once their Eminences have returned to the Conclave. I suggest that one of the Marshal's Prefects remain here with you gentlemen, and we will return to the Conclave. I will remain by the door, and when you need someone from the Conclave, the Marshal's Prefect and I will transfer them through a temporary seal there."

Esteban nodded. "And if you gentlemen will keep the Prefects apprised of the progress of your physical investigation, they can make arrangements, if necessary, for the creation of temporary sleeping arrangements within the seal for tonight."

(OOC: Due to the interesting twists in the thread, the IC timeline is stretching out a bit. We will keep doing daily votes, but announce IC only when there is a good IC opportunity or--if we get an election--we will make an opportunity. For now, however, the result of the 4/3 vote is:

Hume=57.14%
Gambini=42.86%

No election. Please start voting immediately in 4/4 election, which will be an hour short because of the DST changeover!

Scrutators for 4/4 will be Daistallia & Valinon)

By the time the Mass for the Dead was over, Esteban and Ghattas had rejoined them, and the Prefects and St. Martha's staff had brought in trays of chilled juices, coffee, and wine.

Di Corneliano went to find Hilario Ximenes.

"I am sorry we were so abruptly interrupted, earlier, brother. You were asking about the missions, and the various papabile." He sighed. "A difficult question. Each man has his own view of where the missions stand in relation to the whole Church and all of our priorities."

"Diplomatically, I must say that of course any man elected Pope will of course follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit in relation to the place of our mission work and the resources it requires. Personally..." he sighs.

"You have asked, and I must be honest, trying to be as fair as I can. Cardinal Gambini is a man of great financial caution, a meticulous steward of Holy Church's resources--a good thing, of course. But sometimes I wish he could take a few more risks. Cardinal Hume's concerns are very much focused on the people in the pews," he smiled ruefully, "but he does not have much history and familiarity with our Churches in many of the mission countries and regions."

He helped himself to a glass of chilled white wine. "Bene... I have needed this. What a day..."

OOC: HVS the mobile phone was brought to Lehman. IT wasn't in there previously. Also, I'll get a post up later today, a ton of stuff I have to do.

OOC: HVS the mobile phone was brought to Lehman. IT wasn't in there previously. Also, I'll get a post up later today, a ton of stuff I have to do.

Ximenes thanks di Corneliano for his advice. "If only there was a compromise candidate," he said, wandering off to cast his vote.

After a short break, di Corneliano and Esteban called everyone to order again. A few more Cardinals brought up challenges they considered important to the church—Langston, the American, spoke of the loss of trust and confidence among the laity, and the terrible dearth of vocations, especially for the active religious orders. Carvalho brought up the problems of the numbers of priests and religious slain for human rights activism by military juntas and authoritarian governments.

Stedman of Toronto, quietly but challengingly, mentioned the loss of interest in the Faith among women, and pointed out that it was the women, more than any other force, who ensured that the Faith was passed on to another generation. Gordon, with a rather hostile look at Stedman, immediately followed by pointing out how many of their Anglican brethren were returning to the True Faith based on the Anglican decisions to ordain women and gay people, and pointed out that the issue of reunification between the Churches was still a considerable challenge.

Issue after issue, challenge after challenge, they spoke their concerns. Once, Monsignor Matanzas approached Esteban and whispered something into his ear, and the Governor of the Conclave got up and went with him to the door, returning in a few moments.

Finally, di Corneliano called for another vote. This time the ordinary paper ballots were used. The golden chalice was taken down one row, up the other, collecting the little slips of paper. Cardinal Ravion and Cardinal McCormack, to whom the lots had fallen as scrutators, joined Esteban and the Prefects as they counted. While they were counting, di Corneliano made the announcement:

“My brethren, we deeply regret that due to the ongoing investigation scene in St. Martha’s, for tonight the Sistine Chapel will be sealed and we will sleep in temporary accommodations there. Your overnight things are already being brought there, and we will adjourn there when this vote is complete. Any who wish can remain here, and participate in the recitation of Compline.”

Ravion and McCormack returned to their seats, and Esteban announced the results of the second vote: no election.

(OOC: Remember to vote in the 4/4 vote, only a couple of hours left!)

Wearily, the Cardinals were ushered through the now-sealed premises between the Sacristy and the Sistine Chapel, where sleeping cubicles had been hastily rigged. Each man’s overnight bag had been thoughtfully placed on their cot by the security personnel who had unobtrusively searched them.

After Compline, a deep hush fell upon the Basilica, broken only by the sounds of old men sleeping. They would arise again in the morning, and once again bend themselves to the all-important task of electing a Pontiff.

(OOC: Will announce results of 4/4 vote later, again, please remember to cast, we will not assume your vote would be the same today as yesterday!)

Cardinal McCormack was speaking with a group of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. Being the "new guy" among the group, he didn't know everyone, but he found them all very nice and hospitible. They discussed the most recent vote, and how it now seemed as though it was between the liberal and conservative arms of the church.

"Well, the way I see it," Cardinal McCormack said, "the more things change, the more things stay the same. I don't think the Church is ready for all the radical changes some of our bretheren are calling for. I personally think Vatican II changed too many things too fast, and we know how much confusion that caused. I think If change is to occur, it must happen gradually. We're still sorting out the meaning of Vatican II. It's not yet time for radical doctrinal swings. As much as I think change will be necessary, I think the next Pope should be more concerned with defining who we are now than who we will be in the future."

He paused, awaiting the responses of others

OOC: edit for proofreading

In the morning, the Refectory area was sufficiently cleared so that the Cardinals could return there for breakfast; as they did so, the St. Martha’s servants moved everyone’s things back to their rooms in the hostel. After breakfast, the Marshal and the Governor of the Conclave again performed the ritual sealing the Conclave, and Mass was said in the Sacristy. Everyone was rather solemn, some were a bit cranky (those temporary cots were not as comfortable as the rooms in St. Martha’s,) and there wasn’t much conversation among the Cardinals as they settled in for the morning’s session.

“Brothers, I would like to begin immediately, with a vote.” The lots were drawn, and Cardinals Plien and Reinhold were selected as scrutators. Again the prefects went down the rows with the golden paten and chalice. Each Cardinal folded his ballot and placed it on the paten, and from there it was dropped into the chalice.

The Chalice was brought to the table and Esteban, Monsignor LePaige, and the scrutators began to count the ballots.

Monsignor Matanzas was stationed by the door. As Cardinal di Corneliano began to speak, the Monsignor came in to Cardinal Ghattas, and the Cardinal rose and followed him. Di Corneliano did not give them a glance, keeping the focus of the Conclave on their real business.

“Brethren, we have discussed the challenges facing our Church. For today, let us be a little more positive. Our new Pontiff will need to be a man who can use resources wisely and well. Today, let us discuss what the Church’s greatest strength is, while we vote.”

He nodded to Cardinal Luciani, Cardinal Prefect for the Congregation of the Clergy, who was seated at the close end of the row on his left. The plump Cardinal looked surprised for a moment, then smiled, and nodded. “It should come as no surprise to my brethren that after four years serving in my Dicastery, I am deeply impressed with the resilience and dedication of our priests. The pastoral mission is the backbone of our Church and the sacraments they administer are the place where the Temporal and Eternal halves of the Church meet. While it is true we have a terrible shortage of vocations in some areas, the overall quality of the vocations we are blessed with has steadily increased over the last fifty years. Our Holy Fathers, John Paul II and Sixtus VI, served the Church well in this.”

Other Cardinals spoke, and then Esteban approached the lectern, as Plien and Reinhold returned to their seats.

(OOC: These are the 4/4 results. Please remember to vote in the 4/5 ballot!)

“Guido Cardinal Gambini: Fifty percent”

“Michael Stephen Cardinal Hume: Thirty-seven point five percent”

“Bonaventura Eugenio Tosi Cardinal di Corneliano: Twelve point five percent.”

“There is no election.”

Again, he went to the stove, and burned the ballots, with the black smoke chemicals. Again, a sigh arose in St. Peter’s Square.

Di Corneliano resumed the discussion calmly, as Cardinal Ghattas returned to his seat. “The strengths of the Church in today’s world. Would any brother care to comment?”

(OOC: We will TG all to remind you to vote in 4/5 vote. Scrutators will be Effrenata and Lavenrunz.)

(Edit: OOC: I'm sorry if this seems repetitive, as i posted almost the same thing before, but it seems to fit better here than before)

Cardinal McCormack stood, prepared to address his fellow Cardinals as a group for the first time. He reiterated his points of the small group talk the night before:

"As I explained last night," Cardinal McCormack said, "there is an expression that 'the more things change, the more things stay the same.' I don't think the Church is ready for all the radical changes some of our bretheren are calling for. I personally think Vatican II changed too many things too fast, and we know how much confusion that caused. I think If change is to occur, it must happen gradually. We're still sorting out the meaning of Vatican II. It's not yet time for radical doctrinal swings. As much as I think change will be necessary, I think the next Pope should be more concerned with defining who we are now than who we will be in the future."

He sat again, awaiting the opinons of his bretheren.

Ver'chan waited, patiently. He had consistently voted for Gambini. He did not know how long this would take, and he was worried.

<=============>

Leopold paused. "Do you have any theories, my lord Marshall? I assure you, your words shall not pass from this room."

Ximenes stands and starts to speak, tentatively at first, then more enthusiastically as he begins to warm to his subject.

"Faith, hope and love, these three abide, but the greatest of them is love," he quotes St. Paul. "Our love of God, of the Church, of each other, of the world that is God's creation, of the simple woman who prays the rosary with a conviction and simple belief that humbles me: there, i think, lies our greatest strength. That we love fully, and do not think first about whether this will be something acceptable to civil authority but about how best we can live out Christ's call to love our God and love our neighbour: that is the greatest gift and the greatest strength of our church, i think.

"With all due respect to my brother," he nods with a small bow to Cardinal McCormack, "our predecessors at the Second Vatican Council were filled with the Holy Spirit when they took the steps they did. They heard the call of the lay people and moved by love of church they made some changes that had to be made. Hard choices, but choices that made our church stronger. In my own country, the ability to say mass in the vernacular has made such a difference. The people now feel that the church is their church: they love the church, and they know that the church loves them. Of course we should not change just for the sake of change or to follow the fashions of the day, but we must dare to change, dare to love, dare to embrace the future.

"Dear brothers, if all we do is be careful and look to the bottom line, we are falling short of what we can achieve." Conscious that he has just made a speech without intending to, he sits again, blushing a little bit.

More than a few Cardinals nodded and looked satisfied at McCormack's words, but there were also many who smiled and looked encouraginly at Cardinal Ximenes. It was that very diversity, Esteban thought privately to himself, that provided the Church with so much of her strength. There would always be voices of dissent, a strong crucible for the testing of new ideas, a strong drive to keep the Church connected with the Faithful.

Cardinal Meisner, who had said little until now, stood. "My brothers, we do many things well, have many strengths. But all of the things we do well only go to serve what we are--the keepers of the Deposit of Faith. It is this faith, this 2,000 year-old core of truth, that lies at the heart of our Church, and above all other responsibilities, our new Pontiff must be a man who can both guard this treasure carefully, and give it away to the widest possible extent."

"For is this not the mystery at the center of our Church? The more we share this incredible Divine Gift, the stronger it grows. Yet, in the sharing, we must be certain that it remains pure and uncorrupted by the petty wishes and hopes of sinful men."

Rather abruptly, he sat down, looking a little surprised at himself.

The Marshal shook his head, regarding the Duke of Agua gravely. "I have not sufficient knowledge to have theories, I am afraid. If you will assign someone as a liaison for our security staff, they will communicate any knowledge or informed speculation to them. Even as we speak, they are undertaking a thorough investigation of the circumstances regarding Cardinal Zhiosky's death."

In Jeruselem, Catheral of Jerusalem

Bsihop James was speaking with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. "James, any news of the elections?" the Patriarch asked. "Our informants say still quite indecisive, but the usual war of theology between liberals and conservatives. No more news about the Yaakov as well." James replied.

"I hope this mess gets resolved and we can get on with our Church administration instead of getting tangled with Rome politics again." the Patriarch sighed.

OOC

Corrected due to oversight spotted by HVS!

Lehman sat rubbing his temples. Again he would vote for Gambini.

Ver'chan silently slipped out of the room, hoping no one would ask him or stop him. Terror floated through his mind, a great numbing terror.

<===========>

Leopold nodded. "Lord Marshal, I am staying in the Roanian embassy. Members of the Martial Order of Saint Michael are acting as my body-guard, and I will send one of them to you for that purpose."

The Marshall nodded. “We will be expecting your representative, then. You can have them ask for Comandante Scalia or Commissario di Vianello. And our people will be in touch with you regarding arrangements for Cardinal Zhiosky’s body. He will be greatly missed.”

He rose and shook hands with the Duke, and escorted him to the door.

Then he turned to the difficult task of writing the press release.


Dear friends in Christ, today we have sad news from the Papal Conclave. Cardinal Yaakov Zhiosky, of Roania, passed away during the Conclave, of an apparent heart attack. Doctors reported that the coronary infarct was massive and instantaneous. The Cardinal had been in frail health for some time.

The Cardinals took some time from deliberations for choosing a new Pontiff to say a Mass for the Dead in tribute to their colleague.

The press release was accompanied by a brief, formal resume of the Cardinal’s service to the Church, and contact information for the office of Patriarch Frasier in Roania.

They stopped for a meal in the early afternoon, which was still a rather subdued affair, although most were pleased to find their things back at St. Martha’s. They took extra time for a short rest, as some had not slept very well the previous night. When they returned to the Conclave, after the opening prayer Esteban suggested another vote. Again, the prefects circulated with paten and chalice. Again, the scrutators, Cardinals Threehorn and Wittmar, returned to the front to assist in the ballot counting. When they were finished, Esteban announced:

“Guido Cardinal Gambini: 46.67 percent”

“Michael Stephen Cardinal Hume: 46.67 percent”

“Bonaventura Eugenio Tosi Cardinal di Corneliano: 16.66 percent”

“There is no election.”

Again, the black smoke went up.

Esteban returned to the lectern, with a slightly rueful expression. “We have far to go yet, brothers. While it is not traditional or proper for those who repeatedly receive many votes to make 'campaign speeches,' in the usual sense, there is no prohibition on hearing their views on particular issues.”

“I suggest this: Any Cardinal wishing to hear the views of all three of the Cardinals who have repeatedly received votes on a particular subject, write a question or suggest a topic, and have it passed to the lectern, here. After Vespers, the Cardinals will meet briefly and choose one or two, and respond to them. Does this please you, my brothers?”

There were several murmurs of “Placet,” and nodded heads.

“Excellent. Now if any brother cares to continue the discussion, I suggest we move on to discuss our Church’s role on the international stage, and what we expect might be required of our next Pontiff in fulfilling this role, while we take another vote.”

(OOC: This means, you can submit your question/issue with your vote, and we’ll select a couple for the Cardinals to address. But by all means, continue discussion on the topic of the Church’s role on the ‘international stage’—interesting, yes?—and don’t forget to vote in the 4/6 vote. Scrutators will be Jeruselem and Roania)

Cardinal Demato asks the cardinals: "What are you stances on the nations that with great 'fan fair' proclaim how anti catholic and anti christain they are. Furthermore what would you reccomend be done to nations who publically condemn catholic and in some cases have them cast out, killed, or imprissoned."

Gambini spoke first. He frowned a little, and started slowly. “The phenomenon of anti-Catholicism is not a new one—it goes back half a millennium. Anti-Christianity goes back to Nero. The denial of religion altogether as an official arm of policy on the part of a government came into vogue with Communism, and that is a century old and more.”

“Yet the Church has survived all of these things, and we will continue to do so. We will continue to exert diplomatic pressure, and use our not-inconsiderable resources to focus the eyes of the world upon these human rights abuses, in an effort to protect Catholics everywhere from the persecution of ignorant and foolish men of power.”

Hume, listening, nodded as Gambini spoke. “Eminence, you put it well and leave me little to add. But there is that little—we must continue the fight to allow all people, everywhere in the world, liberty of conscience. When Paul VI promulgated Dignitatis Humanae, Communism posed a threat to the faith of nearly half of the world’s people. By giving the Church a leadership role in fighting for freedom of conscience worldwide, he paved the way for the great victories we have seen in our lifetime in Russia and Eastern Europe, and the growing tolerance of religion in Asia. This leadership must continue, as too many in today’s world are still denied this fundamental right.”

Di Corneliano, also, nodded. “I agree with both of your Eminences, but I would also look at addressing some of the roots of anti-Catholicism. By continuing to expand the Church’s works of mercy throughout the world—hospitals, schools, orphanages, disaster relief, and so on, we become for more people a resource, and for fewer, a threat.”

(OOC: Be sure to vote, or the election will be decided by a very small number!)

WE HAVE A POPE!


Please move the action to this new thread, HERE:

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3009793#3009793