Advice please

[Mahrabals apprentice]

Started my first big game playing as Milan.
So far I have avoided any wars, except crusades.
I control Milan, Genoa, Ajecco, Calgari, Antioch and Jerusalem as cities and Florence, Valencia and Acre as castles. My rating with the Pope was perfect, the he died , and was replaced by one of my Cardinals.
I have 3 plans in mind


1). Get a crusade declared against Alexandria. Take my large mercenary crusader army with a 7 star general, which is in Jerusalem, further south and take Alexandria and try to eliminate Egypt.

2). Launch a crusade on Tunis. Send a new crusader army from Italy into North Africa and a second army from Valencia to take the Moors Spanish terratory. Try to eliminate the Moors.

3). Declare war on Venice, and take Venice and Bologna off them and secure North Italy. Hopefully my man in the Vatican will not excommunicate me. I am not sure how far I can go with my guy in the Vatican without getting in trouble.

I figure I can do 2 from 3 of the above.
Can I have some advice on what you feel I should do next

[Copperhaired Berserker!]

I'd say plan 3. The way to attack catholic factions without the pope wanting to stretch you on the rack is to take a small piece of the enemy, and when the pope tells you to stop, do as he says, but keep lots of full stacks right next to the enemy's citys. It's like teasing your enemy, and eventually the enemy won't take it, and he'll attack, and then the enemy get excommuicated, instead of YOU.