Question about weird cardinal situatrion

[Forward Observer]

By the way, I went back and checked, I do not have a theologian's guild in any settlement, nor have I ever had an offer of one.

[WhiskeyGhost]

Get yourself a nice middle east territory, perhaps even an island if need be, and crank out some priests and go on a conversion war. Send 5 or 6 of em into a non Catholic territory and watch as they get traits for quickly converting the heathens =)

i've done this as far as 100+ turns in the game, and it took me about 30 turns from there to get some guys into the cardinal seats (without using assassins too)