Chevalier Gaetan, on the issue of the crusade as punishment, I agree: a crusade should not punish the people of a land. I would regard any crusade sacking a city as undisciplined; any crusade exterminating a city as criminal. I am a warrior, not a butcher. I would even stand to that belief if we were to crusade against the Moors or in the Holy Land. Before Christ, there were no Christians and it is only through conversion that the Church has come to dominate Europe. Only unbelievers can be converted.

I also agree with you that we will be setting a dangerous precedent if we crusade on the English for failing to heed the Pope's order to cease killing the Christian Scots. It will signal danger to all warlords and butchers who would spill Christian blood to seize their lands. And yes, this does bite both ways. Any general of France who attacks the Germans in their lands and brings down excommunication on France is likely to be judged very harshly by all of us in this hall.

Since the fall of Rome, Christendom has become prey to pointless internecine wars between those who profess to love Christ. The mechanism of excommunication, backed by the sanction of crusade by any and all good Christian nations, offers a chance to end that anarchy and establish something a kin to the Pax Romana of old. Such a new order of peace and stability would only benefit the people of England, and of France, and of all other Catholic nations.