For the crusades and the age of the Pope

It seems to me I found another imbalance of the game - it is about the crusades. In the beginning of the game the crusades are quite common. But after the first Pope dies they become a rarity - at least in my games.
Why this? I think it is because every newly elected Pope is too aged when he is elected. So he dies relatively soon and usually there aren't enough turns to call for a crusade.
Any thoughts?

In my game, there have been eight popes so far, and five of them have called Crusades.

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Originally Posted by Handel

It seems to me I found another imbalance of the game - it is about the crusades. In the beginning of the game the crusades are quite common. But after the first Pope dies they become a rarity - at least in my games.
Why this? I think it is because every newly elected Pope is too aged when he is elected. So he dies relatively soon and usually there aren't enough turns to call for a crusade.
Any thoughts?

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How could that be fixed? Giving a Pope better odds of living longer? Have them call Crusades earlier in their tenure?

Note that you can request a crusade if you have good enough relations with the pope. This is also nice as you get to "aim" the crusade which helps in trying to actually keep what you conquer.

I usually go for the nearest non-catholic province that is on the list unless it is an ally.

So if the player requests crusades the "realism" is kept up as you can affect the issue...