Afetr the patch - how "stop the hostilities or be excommunicated" works?

[Mega Dux Bob]

Beefeater, you're right... <slapping head> I was ignoring the "gift" button... hadn't noticed it in the interface. The Pope is now taking cash gifts. Yes, I do suck at diplomacy, but I will get better. and thanks for the tip!

Mor dan, "IIRC" means "if I recall (or remember) correctly".

Building cathedrals also gets you on the Pope's good side. Also making as many priests as you can so you control the Collage of Cardinals so your man becomes Pope works pretty good at keeping at ensuring Papal pleasure.

[Zenicetus]

Building cathedrals also gets you on the Pope's good side. Also making as many priests as you can so you control the Collage of Cardinals so your man becomes Pope works pretty good at keeping at ensuring Papal pleasure.

I got a bump in papal relations after burning a witch with one of my priests, so he likes that too.

Now that I finally learned how to hit the cash gift button (duh!), that seems the way to go, at least in the mid-game when money starts to be less of a problem. I went from 5 crosses to "perfect" relations with the Pope by gifting a 300 per turn tribute for 5 turns. It's almost a little too easy... but for now, I'm not complaining.

Give me another few weeks with the game, and I'll be calling this an exploit...

[Wallas]

When the game starts I go to the pope. I make an alliance and put up a pay tribute of 500 for 1000 turns.

After that you will keep perfect relations to the pope easily. And the pope generally tells you to stop hostilities or the relations will be worse. Not threatening with excommunication. If you still attack. You will lose one level from the pope-o-meter, but it will rise soon because of your tribute.