Papal Conclave 2015

[rpryor03]

Papal Conclave - 2015 Rules

1) General Rules

    A) Each player is a Cardinal of the Catholic Church
    
    B) Each player is, in theory, eligible to be elected Pope
    
    C) A player is elected Pope when 2/3 of the Cardinals vote for him
    
    D) Similar to official Conclave rules, if Pope is not chosen by the end of the 35th Ballot then the majority required to elect a Pope will be lowered to 3/5
    
    E) Once a Cardinal has achieved the necessary majority, they will be ask if they accept (this is, of course, a formality, in this case).  Once they do, they will choose a Regal Name.  You may pick any name you like, but try to stick with something Papal or otherwise religious.  I’m not superstitions, but for reasons of respect and realism Peter II will not be an option.

2) The Players

   A) Each player will be allowed to choose between a series of personality traits and positions on issues of politics, faith and Church organization.  These answers will effect your Cardinals position at the start of the game (which I will assign to each player).  It will also effect which organizations your Cardinal is a member of, and which groups and individual Cardinals he enjoys appeal with.  Though I will try to balance all the traits, some will be better than others, depending on the direction the conclave.

   B) I will provide a brief synopsis of the career of each player.  After that, it will be your job to fill in the rest.  You will each get a paragraph (4-5 sentences) to describe your character.

   C) Each player gets one vote. They will be allowed to vote not only for themselves, but for any other Player Character or Non-Player Character.

3) The Election Process

   A) I will act as the Presiding Cardinal for the entirety of the election, Nicolas de Jesus Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez.  As he is currently 78 years of age, Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez is eligible to vote, but he is not considered a serious candidate for the papacy (though he might receive a few scattered votes on the first ballot, as a “safe” choice). I will not vote with Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez, I will create my own Cardinal, who will be the least senior Cardinal, and as such, is also not a serious candidate.

   B) The first issue to be brought before the Cardinals is whether or not the Cardinals will be allowed to speak to the media.  This vote does take place in the real Conclave.  The votes of the other Cardinals will be made to reflect the choices of the players, though Liberal Cardinals will be more likely to vote in favor.  The choice of the Conclave will effect to what extent exterior events effect the Conclave and vice versa.

   C) If the Cardinals do choose to allow members of the College to speak to the Press, then players may try to influence the election by leaking information to the press and provoking a response from the outside world.  You may choose to make a positive statement to the press, in which you praise the process, or say something good about one of the other members (in these statements, you will always be named) or you may choose to make a negative, unnamed, statement about one of the other Cardinals, or leak a story to attempt to otherwise covertly influence the proceedings.  These statements will be sent to me, I will print them, and you will simply be mentioned as an “unnamed source in the Vatican”.  Please note that even positive statements run the risk of backfiring, as the public might react against your intent, and some Cardinals will always be suspicious of those who speak so freely and eagerly to the press.

    D) If the Conclave chooses against allowing openness to the press, you might still leak information as an “unnamed source”.  There is, however, a 10% chance that you will be exposed.  In real life, this would result in automatic excommunication, however, in this game, it will merely severely damage your relationship with the other Cardinals, and almost any chance you have of being elected or influencing events in anyway will vanish.

E) “E” is for EWTN.  The Eternal Word Television Network is the primary source on all things Catholic.  If you have any questions about anything that doesn’t seem clear to you, you may PM rpryor03 and/or Barnes.

F) The balloting will proceed as follows:
     1. The time leading up to the first balloting is spent in mass and prayer.  The Cardinals will be unable to influence one another.  The first ballot will be conducted purely from the strength of the individual candidates personality traits and to show everyone who stands where and with whom.

    2. Once the first ballot is concluded, that’s when the real fun will begin.  Each player will be allowed one speech or statement before the conclave, per ballot.  This statement can be about anything you want it to be, but must be limited to no more than 8 sentences, or about 25 lines of text.  

Any player may speak to any other player at anytime through IRC, PM, or other communications.

This process will be repeated for every single ballot.

G) Each Cardinals vote will be shown following the ballot.  In real life, it’s a secret ballot, but that would make things too difficult.  Players will announce their votes in the thread.

H) After the first ballot, two ballots will be cast each day of the Conclave until a Pope is finally elected.  Note: No, these are not “days” in realtime... that is merely how the timetable will be organized.

I) The longer the Conclave continues, the more restless the outside world will become and the more likely it will become that an outside event will have considerable impact on the Conclave.

J) There is an incentive for you to vote for another Cardinal if your character lacks support in the later ballots.  The result of this Papal Conclave will directly impact the events of Papacy and, as such, the next conclave.  Voting for a winner might substantially boost your position at the start of the next conclave.  This is an especially good strategy if you are a younger Cardinal.

4) Factions and Voting

You will be assigned a ideology and a continent. That will affect how the Non-Player Cardinals vote. This will be calculated through the use of an influence system. Your influence will be a number assigned by the admins. This may change over the course of the Conclave, based off of your speeches and other external events.


Current Players
HagridoftheDeep - Progressive, USA
Madeleine - Moderate, Hungary
Benconstine - Moderate, Honduras
SJoyce - Moderate, Brazil
Dkrol - Moderate, Portugal
Oakvale - Conservative, Portugal
Nix - Conservative, South Africa
Cris - Conservative, Italy
Barnes - Conservative, Argentina
Potus - Ultra-Conservative, USA
ClassicConservative - Ultra-Conservative, Spain
ilikeverin - Ultra-Conservative, Australia
darthebearnc - Ultra-Conservative, India

[rpryor03]

BREAKING: POPE FRANCIS RESIGNS, CITES "HEALTH"

Welcome, brother Cardinals! You have been summoned to the Vatican City upon the resignation of Pope Francis, to elect a new Pope. But first, we need to know more about you.

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         Australia
         Africa
         North America
         Asia
         Central/South America
         Europe, Excluding Italy
         Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       Progressive
       Moderate
       Conservative
       Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

(Assuming of course that I'm a non-transgender man, or successfully pretending to be one, for these purposes)

1) Academic
2) To prevent diseases
3) Open to dialogue
4) North America, Asia, Italy, Central/South America, Europe excluding Italy, Africa, Australia
5) Moderate, Progressive, Conservative, Ultra-Conservative
6) Young

[Oakvale]

1) Pastoral
2) To prevent diseases
3) Defensive
4) Europe excluding Italy, Central/South America, Africa, Italy, Australia, Asia, North America
5) Moderate, Conservative, Progressive, Ultra-Conservative
6) Old

[Potus]

1) Curial
2) No circumstances
3) Defensive
4) Conservative, Ultraconservative, Moderate, Progressive
5) Young

[Kaine for Senate '18]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
North America, Europe, Italy, Australia, Asia, Africa, South America
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       Progressive
       Moderate
       Conservative
       Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[Classic Conservative]

Curial
In no circumstances
Open to dialogue
Ultra-Conservative
(Young>70)
Would like either Europe or Italy.

[Senator Cris]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         4. Australia
         5. Africa
         2. North America
         7. Asia
         6. Central/South America
         3. Europe, Excluding Italy
         1. Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       1. Progressive
       2. Moderate
       3. Conservative
       4. Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[ilikeverin]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue (with the "right people", of course)
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         2. Australia
         6. Africa
         1. North America
         3. Asia
         4. Central/South America
         7. Europe, Excluding Italy
         5. Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       3. Progressive
       4. Moderate
       2. Conservative
       1. Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[HagridOfTheDeep]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
         In no circumstances
         To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
         Open to dialogue
         Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         [3] Australia
         [6] Africa
         [1] North America
         [2] Asia
         [5] Central/South America
         [4] Europe, Excluding Italy
         [7] Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
         [1] Progressive
         [2] Moderate
         [3] Conservative
         [4] Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
         Old (>70)
         Young (<70)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'm going to have to withdraw from the game. I don't think I'll have the time.

[DKrol]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
        In no circumstances
         To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
         Open to dialogue
         Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         [3] Australia
         [7] Africa
         [2] North America
         [5] Asia
         [6] Central/South America
         [1] Europe, Excluding Italy
         [4] Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
         [4] Progressive
         [2] Moderate
         [3] Conservative
         [1] Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
         Old (>70)
         Young (<70)

[Barnes]

A thousand thanks to rpryor for taking this over from me; I don't have enough time to run the Conclave, but I am terribly excited to play!

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue (primarily with other Christian Churches; in particular, Russian and Greek Orthodox.  Further dialogue with fellow Abrahamic faiths is also desirable.)
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
         7. Australia
         4. Africa
         5. North America
         6. Asia
         1. Central/South America
         3. Europe, Excluding Italy
         2. Italy
5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       2. Progressive
       1. Moderate
       3. Conservative
       4. Ultra-Conservative
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[/]

1) What is your background?
          Curial
          Pastoral
          Diplomat
          Academic
2) What is your position on contraception?
          In no circumstances
          To prevent diseases
3) What attitude do you have to other faiths?
          Open to dialogue
          Defensive
4) Please rank the following regions in order of which you’d like to represent:
       
Africa
Italy 
North America
Central/South America
Europe, Excluding Italy
Asia
Australia

      5) Please rank the following ideologies in order of which you’d like to be:
       Ultra Conservative
Conservative
Moderate
Prog.
6) Are you old or young?
      Old (>70)
      Young (<70)

[rpryor03]

48 hours (approximately) for more signups. After that, we'll start.

[rpryor03]

Papabile: Your Guide To The Potential Popes

The Moderate Caucus

Ferenc Cardinal Nagy of Hungary (Nathan)

Just 51 when he was created a cardinal by John Paul II in 2003, Nagy has served as rector of Romes Hungarian Pontifical Institute and taught at the Pontifical Catholic University Argentina in Buenos Aires and at the Pontifical Lateran University. He is the author several works and is the president of the Council of European Bishops Conferences. He is 60 years old.

Jose Victor Cardinal Hernandez of Honduras (benconstine)

The multilingual cardinal holds a doctorate in theology and a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. The cardinal has taught chemistry, physics and music and was professor of moral theology and ecclesiology at the Salesian Theological Institute. He became archbishop of Tegucigalpa in January 1993. An ardent defender of human rights and a powerful voice in the global fight against poverty, he was the Vatican's spokesperson with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on the issue of Third World debt. He was created a cardinal by John Paul II in the 2001 consistory. He is 70 years old.

Cláudio Fernandes Cardinal dos Santos of Brazil (SJoyce)

The Cardinal holds a doctorate in liturgy from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St Anselm, Rome, and is a former professor of liturgical and sacramental theology and ex-president of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops. The archbishop emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia was created a cardinal by John Paul II on 21 February 2001. He is 76 years old.

Julião Sebastião Cardinal Tavares Silva of Portugal (DKrol)

The cardinal, who entered the Vatican diplomatic service in 1967, has served in countries including Panama, Guatemala, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico and Belgium. In 2004, while nuncio in Spain and Andorra, he appeared to hint that the church should acknowledge gay partnerships, saying that although many countries defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, there are other forms of cohabitation and it is good that they be recognised. From  2000 to 2011, he was the Patriarch of Lisbon. He was created a cardinal by Benedict XVI on 18 February 2012. He is 74 years old.

The Conservative Caucus

António Cardinal Cardozo of Portugal (Oakvale)

The patriach of Lisbon was appointed titular bishop of Caliabria and auxiliary of Lisbon in May 1978. He was elected president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference in April 1999, serving until June 2005. He was re-elected resident of the conference in 2011. He was created a cardinal by John Paul II in 2001. He is 77 years old.

Enoch Cardinal Fortunato of South Africa (Averroes Nix)

The tweeting archbishop of Durban was named apostolic administrator of Umzimkulu in 1994. After philosophical and theological studies at the Catholic University of Louvain, he learnt Xhosa and went to work in the parish of Lusikisiki, undertaking pastoral work in Tabankulu. He was created a cardinal by John Paul II in 2001. He is 72 years old.

Giorgio Cardinal Ricci of Italy (Cris)

The Archbishop of Genoa has been in his position since 1998. He also serves as President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007. He was a parish priest before his ordination to the Episcopate. He is 70 years old.

Juan Augusto Cardinal Cabrera of Argentina (Barnes)

Like many Argentinians, the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Oriental Institute is of Italian descent. Sandri, who speaks five languages, has represented the Vatican in the US, Venezuela and Mexico. But despite being head of the congregation of Oriental churches - which makes him responsible for Catholics in Bethlehem and elsewhere in the Holy Land - some have noted that his star has been waning in recent years and his current role is less influential than the positions he occupied under John Paul. He was created a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2007. He is 69 years old.

The Ultra-Conservative Caucus

America Cardinal Filiberto of the United States (Potus2036)

Filiberto, archbishop emeritus of Saint Louis and head of the Vatican's highest appeals court, is an outspoken opponent of abortion and those celebrities and politicians who are pro-choice. He is also a champion of the traditional, Latin liturgy. His family fled Cuba for the United States, so as such, he is very outspoken about diplomatic relationships with Cuba. He was created a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2010. He is 64 years old.

Cristobal Ricardo Cardinal y Ortega of Spain (Classic Conservative)

The conservative archbishop emeritus of Toledo was appointed prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Benedict XVI in 2008, giving him oversight of liturgy. A member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1995, he also founded the St Teresa of Jesus Catholic University in Ávila. He was created a cardinal by Benedict in 2006. He is 67 years old.

Sydney Cardinal Grantham of Australia (ilikeverin)

Grantham, the Archbishop of Sydney, is very conservative on matters of faith and morals. He supported John Paul II's view that the ordination of women is not possible according to the church's divine constitution, and said it would be a serious error to lose the tradition of priestly celibacy. He was created a cardinal by John Paul II in 2003. He is 71 years old.

Kunal Cardinal Maharaj of India (darthebearnc)

Maharaj, who became archbishop of Bombay in 1996 after many years in the Holy See's diplomatic service, is a noted conservative on matters such as abortion and homosexuality, believing that gay people can be cured of their unnatural tendencies. When we live myopically in the fleeting present, oblivious of our past heritage and apostolic traditions, we could well be suffering from spiritual Alzheimers, he said. He was created cardinal by John Paul II in 2001. He is 76 years old.

The Progressive Cardinal

James Cardinal Barrett of the United States (Hagridofthedeep)

Barrett, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, is a diplomatic Cardinal. During his tenure as Los Angeles archbishop, Barrett was instrumental in dividing the archdiocese into five administrative subdivisions and in guiding the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which opened in September 2002. Since his retirement, he has been a Deputy Secretary of State for the Vatican based in the US. He was created a cardinal by John Paul II in 1991. Cardinal Barrett has been a critic of what he calls "social oppression of different lifestyles" from the Church, and has a well-publicized friendship with a Hollywood-based gay rights activist. He is 77 years old.

If you wish to add more to your bio, please do that in the next 48 HOURS. I repeat, FORTY-EIGHT HOURS. TWO DAYS. After that, we will start.

[Simfan34]

Noo! I missed out.

[rpryor03]

Noo! I missed out.

You can take Cardinal Nagy, as Madeleine had to leave the game.