Otto rises to speak again:

I will be brief as I have already taken enough of this assembly's time. I second edict 2.9 and 2.10. These are sensible precautions that can be accomplished when more pressing matters are not present.

Mein Kaiser, I apologize if the direction that this Diet has taken displeases you. However, you have not proposed any edicts yourself, and I'm not aware of any rules that would prohibit you from doing so. If you have a specific plan in mind, let us know. Your voice would carry great influence in this council!

Thank you my Lords.

Otto takes his seat.

Prinz Henry: Voting on edicts is now open:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=78296

In view of my father's intervention, I do wish to discuss whether we need to recruit more priests. Be in no doubt, fellow Electors, this issue is not about Stettin. It is much wider than that. A group of missionaries, tempered by experience in Stettin, will be a powerful asset to the Republic. I envisage sending them on, further east, to achieve more successes converting heathens. And ultimately, I see sending them to the Holy Land to prepare for our arrival there.

The issue relates to Maximillan's outburts and Cardinal Scherer's responses. The Pope acts as a restraint on the action of all god-fearing nations. The question is how do we respond to this? Do we ignore it and risk the wrath of all our fellow Catholics? I see no benefits to ignoring the Papacy, only risks and costs. That is one reason why I do not support any unprovoked war on our Catholic neighbours. And certainly not in this Diet, where the argument for a specific war has not been made.

The alternative is that we use the institution of the Papacy, by gaining influence with the Pope. This would be done directly by regular contributions as I proposed in the last Diet. And indirectly, by promoting our own Cardinals to positions of influence, as I have advocated may happen through sending many missionaires to Stettin and other godless places. If Cardinal Scherer achieves quick dramatic results in Stettin, his reputation for piety will rise and this may ultimately propell him into the Preferati or even beyond. Moreover, the young priests we recruit will also gain in stature and may join him as Cardinals, immune to heresy and capable of influencing the election of the future Pontiffs.

My own view is that we should use the Papacy, not ignore it. The rewards to working with Rome are substantial - for example, we gain the ability to launch crusades on our enemies and on infidels. With the Pope on our side, any would be invaders will be stalled or ostracised.

But if we are to use the Papacy it will cost us some coin. Regular gifts of around 100 florin every two years; the upkeep of a few priests. Electors, these are not large sums and it would be penny pinching if you vote for ostracisation for fear of spending a few hundred florin per annum. Religion has become a powerful force in the world of men - we ignore it at our peril.

Fifth Elector of Swabia stands up after Prinz Henry and says:

"Truly i agree with our honourable Prinz and my Duke. We should have good relations with the Holy father. And as i see the speech of the Bavarian Duke.I think it is down right Heretic. We suggest that the Bavarian Duke to spend more time in Church of our Lord and search his heart to find the righteous path once again."

Swabian Elector sits down.

Count Sigismund der Stolze stands up once again.

Noble electors, I will never let it be said that I am not pious or a true Christian, but I cannot in all good conscience support the Pope. The Roman Church, which is the mother of all churches, behaves more like a stepmother than a mother. The scribes and Pharisees place burdens on men's shoulders too heavy to be borne. They load themselves with fine clothes and their tables with precious plates; a poor man can seldom gain admittance.

Why then should we waste good Imperial gold on appeasing this pontiff who defies the Kaiser himself?

Fifth Elector stands up and asks again permission to speak:

"Who are we to judge Gods plan?God see`s into men´s heart and works in mysterious ways. St.Peter was left in to the world to be the bedrock of Christians and who sits on his thrown is the father of the church and representative of God on earth. If we deny that we are not true sons of the Church. Where is the proof that Papacy is in turmoil? All i hear is hear say.Where is the proof. About the gold. Dont we leave gold to the church after the mes so our churches can look astonishing proof of our faith? As men leave gold to their parishes. Kingdoms and Empires leave gold to the Papacy as sign of their faith."

The fifth Elector sits down looking rather upset.

[Prinz Henry:] My good friend Count der Stolze, I did not say "support" the Pope. I said "use" the Pope.

We must distinguish between the office and its current occupant. I would certainly prefer to see Cardinal Scherer or another good German man of the cloth in the office, and indeed, my proposals are partly designed to that end.

But given that the office exists, I believe we should respect it so that we can use it to our advantage, rather than provide our enemies with another weapon against us.

As I have said, I do not believe we should attack our Catholic nations unprovoked, so I do not see the Papacy as a hindrance to us. If, as I fear, we are eventually subject to an unprovoked attack by our Catholic neighbours, good relations with the Papacy will provide us with several advantages. It may induce our assailants to cease their attacks; or it might expose them to excommunication and our crusades if they refuse to desist.

This is an age in which men are fired up by religious passion - we should use that zeal to our advantage, not get burned by it.

It is indeed wise to exploit a weakness when it is revealed. Though I believe fervently that the rightful order should be restored in Rome, I am not such a fool as to think we can march our armies into the Eternal City without causing much strife to our homelands. I fully support the form of policy Prinz Henry advocates, but only after Pope Gregory is burning in the fires of hell! He has already excommunicated our Kaiser and has proved himself a fervent enemy of the Reich. We cannot pander to him nor grovel to him without losing a part of our soul!

Let him waste away and die, then let us use politics, trade, and any other resources at our disposal to gain influence in the Vatican. With influence comes power, and eventually the ability to restore the rightful order to Christianity.