Growth of Piety in Cardinal/Priest

[890719k]

Does religious buildings affect the growth of piety in cardinals/priests staying at that city/castle?

Or does it grow faster if I send him to a region with a very low percentage of catholic worshippers?

Can anyone suggest the quickest way of increasing Piety?

[Zatoichi]

In my English campaign, my priests have had their piety increase the most when they have visited regions with 0 Catholicism and then stuck around for a good few turns. In fact, all three of the Cardinals I've had promoted have been in the middle east, they seem to have double the piety of the priests who stay in West Europe.

As for the piety of family members, it seems they are more affected by the religious structures built in the towns/castles where they are staying. I haven't worked out how to increase their piety as quickly as the priests. Which is a shame as they are easy pickings for those nasty inquisitors when they show up!

[890719k]

But in my Spanish campaign, I sent my original cardinal to Africa(0% Christianity) and he only gained one piety(from 5 to 6) after 20 turns. My priest recruited and stayed in spanish castle (70% Christianity) with a chapel grow from 2 to 7 piety at the same time period and became the a cardinal. Is that just an accident?

[Zatoichi]

Oh, and there was me thinking I'd worked it out! Sounds like it's more complicated than I thought, or possibly more random! The best way I've had of increasing piety in my priest who have stayed in Europe is by burning witches and heretics.

It's possible that some some priests are just born with a predisposition to increase in piety faster than others, all things being equal.

I guess we'll have to wait for someone clever to come along and enlighten us, or a kindly CA employee, or just wait for someone who can dig into the files once we've got an unpacker...

[-Isapostolos-]

I was wondering the same thing. I think burning heretics helps, but there isn't an unlimited supply of the buggers.
Anyone else know how to raise piety with priests?

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I haven't seen a single heretic/witch yet. When do these guys turn up?

[Biggus Diccus]

Heretics/Witches seem to pop up in provinces with relatively high herecy percentage. I had a few appear in a region with around 25% herecy.

And what's up with the hidden priest attributes; I've seen traits that affect purity and orthodoxy so far....