Patriarchal Representative:

Allow precisely what to continue? The fact that there is one facet of Byzantine society that is not under your direct control? Of course; I apologize. The nerve of His Eminence, I know.

The fact that His Eminence sends me here to liaise with you rather than enter here in person serves to reinforce the point that he is separate from this political entity. He does not come here because he knows better than to dictate political policy. His Eminence trying to dictate political policy would be as inappropriate as, say, one of you trying to direct religious policy - oh wait, that's exactly what the Basileus wants to happen.

Name me one time where the Patriarch has overstepped his boundaries and interfered in political policy. Name me one time where *I* have done so in this body. The Crusade, as much as the Basileus would have you believe otherwise, was a strictly religious matter. His Eminence saw a genocide of Christians taking place, and he decided to take matters to remedy this problem. Such is his duty as leader of the Orthodox faith. And, I'll have you all know, the Crusade took zero funds out of the Byzantine coffers. Zero, which means the Patriarch has not interfered with military policy one iota.

His Eminence, Basileus, is not above the Senate, he is separate from it. The two operate in different spheres, spheres which the Patriarch has been careful to maintain. He is a noble man, toiling away day and night to better the Orthodox faith, the one true path to salvation. He deserves better than this.

In contrast, look at yourself, Basileus. Despite your position as overseer of the entire Empire, you endorsed the candidacy and later failed to condemn the actions of a man who openly broke both laws and rules and promoted his own House whilst the others were left to their own devices. Even now, in this very body, you lie to the noble Senators present here who are not deemed worthy enough to join your inner circle. You bring forth the initial edict, in the name of rewarding the work of His Eminence, and fool at least one Senator into believing it while its true motive is to get rid of an imagined threat; a motive that would have gone unrevealed had I not made your letter public.

Senators: The Basileus is a favoritist and an admitted liar. And now he wishes to take over all of Orthodoxy while he's at it, putting all of our salvation at risk, by blasting the benevolent and Holy Patriarch out of the way. This is a true despot rearing its ugly head, concerned for nothing but the advancement of his own agenda. This must not be allowed to happen.