Papal Conclave - 2007 Info Center

[Gabu]

I'll give it a try.

[Gabu]

Personal Profiles

Name: Luka Cardinal Jergović

1) Are you a member of the Roman Curia, or a pastoral bishop.

[ ] The Curia:  Members of the Curia are well known, and will start out with
                       an early advantage.  They will also be more platable to other
                       members of the Curia, at least at first.  They might have a
                       hard time winning over Cardinals who are from outside of
                       Rome, however.
[X] Pastoral Bishop:  Many will be lesser known, and not quite as well
                       connected, but they could pick up significant support as
                       the conclave proceeds.

2) Do you come from a wealthy or poor country.

[ ] Wealthy:   Chances are you will start out in higher standing, but will be
                      unlikely to garner support from those who orginate in the 3rd
                      World.

[X] Poor:         You will arive with a lower profile, but have the potential to
                      win over considerable support, due to your background.

Note:  Members of the Curia may also be from the poorer regions of the world.  Also, some countries with significant regional income differences might be divided into seperate classes (such as Nothern and Southern Italy).

3) Are you European or non-European? (no explanation required)

[X] European

[ ] non-European

Note:  For the Purpose of the game, Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc, are not classified as Europeans.  This group is for people who are strictly European.

4) Are you a Scholar or a "Man-of-the-people"?

[ ] Scholar:      Some groups and individuals prefer a more scholarly Pope

[X] Man-of-the-People:  Where as some prefer one who is easier for the
                       average person to relate to.

5) Older or Younger?

[ ] Older

[X] Younger

6) What's your ego like?

[X] Humble and Quiet: People will preceive you as being more spiritual and
                        nurturing

[ ] Bombastic and Outspoke: People will precieve you as being more of a
                        "champion" and strong-willed

And Finally... the Questions

Some of these questions might sound a bit repetetive, but each one has a different focus.

Check the one that is closest to your view:

Theological

1) The clearest path to Salvation is through

[ ] The Sacraments

[ ] Good works

[ ] Simple faith, like that of a child

[X] Having a complex and intimate understanding of one's faith

2) Marian Devotion and the Saints

[ ] Mary should be seen in the role of "co-redemptrix".  Not equal to Christ,
    but still playing an essential role in salvation.

[ ] Mary should be adored as the Mother of God and a powerful advocate
    for sinners, but lets not get carried away.

[ ] Catholics aren't supposed to "worship" Mary and the saints, but there
    are plenty who don't seem to know that.  We should place less
    emphasis on them, less people get confused and begin to pray someone
    other than God.

[X] In the modern age it is fitting for us to stress a more personal relationship with God.
    Mary should be adored and the saints should be praised and looked up to, but people
    should be more willing to simply "take their problems" directly to God.

3) The mass

[ ] The mass should adhere to a strict protocol.  Things are done a certain way for a reason.
     We should go back to a Latin format.

[X] Keep the mass as is.

[ ] The mass should be less formal.  More a celebration than a ritual.

4) The Modern Church has a responsibility to

[X] Ensure social and economic justice.

[ ] Ensure the spiritual well being of its members.

5) The Church should work harder to reinforce the faith of

[ ] The community

[X] The individual

6) Christian Reconciliation

[ ] All non-Catholics are heretics, to be damned in the eternal fires of Hell.  Why should we care
    about reconciliation?

[ ] Reconciliation with other Christian groups, particularly Orthodox groups, is desirable.
    As the one true faith, it should be on our terms, however.

[ ] The Church needs to breath with two lungs again.  We should work out our differences with
     the Orthodox faiths, and also seek to reincorporate the Church of England into the fold.

[X] We should not actively seek reconciliation, as it is not necessary.  All Christians are brothers of
     one faith, even if we don't agree on all the specifics.

Political

1) Which should be a higher priority for the Church?

[ ] To promote a message that emphasizes protecting life and condemning modern societies trend
     towards devaluing it.

[X] To promote a sense of economic justice and basic equality for people all over the world,
     condemning those who exploit the labor of others.

[ ] I prefer an approach that balances the two.

2) View of globalization

[ ] Globalization is an important force for promoting basic rights and economic opportunity for all
     people.

[X] Globalization exploits the weaker and poorer to the benefit of the stronger and wealthier.

3) What is your view on separation of Church and State

[ ] It is the duty of any good Catholic, whether a member of the clergy or a layperson, to make
    sure that the laws of their country uphold at least the most basic moral standards.  The Vatican
    should be vigorously involved in promoting moral standards for governments all over the world

[X] Morality is a matter of individual choice.  The clergy should work to instill high moral
    standards in their parishioners, but the Church should not be involved in controlling the laws of
    world governments.

4) The "West" and the "Rest"

[ ] The West is the home of Christianity and is still the base of the Christian world.  The
     deterioration of Christian devotion in Europe is very worrisome.  How can Christianity
     continue to spread if the area that fostered it is no longer Christian?  We must focus on
     revitalizing Christianity in the West, especially in Europe.

[X] Catholicism is blossoming in many countries that are not traditionally Christian.  While we
     Should not place the majority of attention on Africa and Asia, we should change are thinking
     to a moral global mind set.

[ ] The West must learn to be more responsible with its power, especially the United States.  All
     to often, Third World countries, where many poor Christians live, are exploited by these
    Westerners who have clearly lost their way to greed and materialism.  Maybe we should send      missionaries from the rest of the World to remind the West of what they have become.  Either
    way, the Church’s focus should be on the Developing World.

5)Are other faiths "valid"?

[ ] No.  Catholicism is the only valid faith.  Salvation can only be found
    through the sacraments.

[ ] Validation comes through belief in Christ.  All Christian faiths are valid.

[ ] Christianity, Islam and Judaism are valid, as they all believe in the one
    God variously called Yahweh, Allah or simply "Lord".

[X] Any faith that holds true to the spirit of love and brotherhood expressed
    by Jesus Christ is valid.  All good people will know Christ is death, if not in
    life.

Structure

1) Which most closely matches your view?

[ ] Many of the changes made by Vatican II seem to have robbed the Church of much of its moral
    authority.  The striping of power away from the hands of the clergy and into the hands of lay      people has been, on the whole, bad for the theological and structural cohesion of the Church.       It is hard for the Church to say anything without being challenged, and people have only
    become more bold with their challenges.  In the mean time, it hasn't done much for Church
    attendance, as many people have started to think that if "it isn't that important, then why
    bother".  Clergy, bishops and the Pope need to take back the moral authority to tell people how
    it is.  People need discipline and direction in faith.

[X] Vatican II was a good step towards further devolution of the Church.  Faith can't be a "one-      size-fits-all" matter.  People are different.  Would we rather have more people feel included, or      turn more people away.  Lay organizations such as Parish councils also give people more stake in their parish community and helps them feel more involved in their parish and their own faith.  I don't want a Church with no authority, just one that isn't so strictly institutionalized, one that feels less like an organization and more like a faith community

[Gabu]

Sorry for the delay everyone, I have had some personal stuff to deal with for the past couple days, but I promise I will get this all out soon.  I hope no one is losing interest... either way, thanks. 

Losing interest?  I'm waiting with bated breath for this to begin.   It sounds very interesting.

[Gabu]

Another thing, I decided to keep track of the voteing of spread sheet, trouble is, I have almost no expirience with Excel... Once I hide a column, how do I unhide it... I tried clicking on the space where it shoudl be and hitting "unhide" didn't work

First go to Edit > Go To... and type in "(column letter)1" (without the quotes), and then go to Format > Column > Unhide.

[Gabu]

Could you perhaps explain a bit more in detail what we do to influence other cardinals?  I'm not quite sure what to do here.  I know that we're supposed to PM you who we want to talk to and what we want to talk about, but I'm not 100% sure exactly the format you want that in or the full list of what we're allowed to talk about.

Also, is there any difference between speaking to a faction leader and speaking to an individual cardinal (besides the fact that we can only talk to one faction leader as opposed to three cardinals)?

[Gabu]

Could you perhaps explain a bit more in detail what we do to influence other cardinals?  I'm not quite sure what to do here.  I know that we're supposed to PM you who we want to talk to and what we want to talk about, but I'm not 100% sure exactly the format you want that in or the full list of what we're allowed to talk about.

Also, is there any difference between speaking to a faction leader and speaking to an individual cardinal (besides the fact that we can only talk to one faction leader as opposed to three cardinals)?

It will be in a loose conversational format.  Basically, you can discuss whatever issue you like.  If you want to talk about your expirience, then that's fine.  If you want to talk about an issue, then go for it.  If you want talk about the person you are talking to, then that's just as good.

As for the difference between a Faction Leader and a standard Cardinal, the effects of speaking to the one Faction Leader won't be as immediate.  However, others will be more influenced by the actions of a Faction Leader over a few turns, so you get more bang for your buck in the end.

As for the speeches, they can be about anything, and any number of things, I just ask you to keep them to about 2 paragraphs or 14-18 sentences.

So in what format should we PM you our instructions, just something like "I would like to talk to X about Y"?  We don't actually tell you exactly what we want to say (i.e., the exact words), yes?

Sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions; I just want to make sure I don't waste your time by doing things wrong.

[Gabu]

Well, if you aren't too confident in you ability to speak in detail about a certain subject, then you can do it that way.  If you want to get into a detailed discussion about an issue, it will be more appealing to an intellectual Cardinal, unless, of course, you find that you have significant disagreements.  Basically, you will say what you want to talk about, then if you want to take questions.  I will then PM you some questions, and so on.

Now, if you want to talk about somethign personal, you have to include details and be willing to discuss.  Remember, you still have your one question per turn, so....

All righty, thanks for your responses.

I suppose I just have one last question before I can get this thing going, which is to inquire how long you'd like specific dialog to be (to a specific cardinal, not in a speech).  Evidently if you were having a real conversation with someone, you'd talk at length back and forth, but since this is just a game, I'm assuming that you'd prefer not to have it too long.

[Gabu]

Well, if you aren't too confident in you ability to speak in detail about a certain subject, then you can do it that way.  If you want to get into a detailed discussion about an issue, it will be more appealing to an intellectual Cardinal, unless, of course, you find that you have significant disagreements.  Basically, you will say what you want to talk about, then if you want to take questions.  I will then PM you some questions, and so on.

Now, if you want to talk about somethign personal, you have to include details and be willing to discuss.  Remember, you still have your one question per turn, so....

All righty, thanks for your responses.

I suppose I just have one last question before I can get this thing going, which is to inquire how long you'd like specific dialog to be (to a specific cardinal, not in a speech).  Evidently if you were having a real conversation with someone, you'd talk at length back and forth, but since this is just a game, I'm assuming that you'd prefer not to have it too long.

As long as you want.  I won't get bored.

Oh, that's no fun; now I won't know when I can stop.

Well, okay, I think I should be good to go... now I just need to figure out what to do.

[Gabu]

Sorry, my last message didn't make a damn bit of sense.  The period for influencing will last an average of 4 days, since I have to take the time to process everything.  We will set it for Tuesdayish.

Thanks man...i can send you my PMs at anytime before tuesday...not that there would be any reason that they wouldn't, but all PMs are treated equally, regardless of when they're received.

thanks again.

I think you meant to ask that as a question... or am I wrong?

[Gabu]

Is everyone just really busy or something?  The only person I have recieved anything from is Gabu.

I don't quite know how to approach this. I've read the rules, but it kind of seems like a crapshoot.

As far as I can tell, you just read the descriptions of the cardinals to figure out who is most likely to support you and then you just go talk to them about something that you have in common (or about something that you think would make them think favorably about you).

If absolutely no one really has any clue what they're doing, there's no unfair advantages, so you haven't much to lose.

[Gabu]

I may try to influence more if the Cardinals would be more forthcoming.

They will step forward more in the later rounds, unless you are refering to the player Cardinals, or course, then I can't speak for them not answering your question.

You guys can make speeches you know?

I am referring to the player Cardinals.

I'd answer the question if I had any idea what was being asked.

[Gabu]

Also, because of Gabu's activities, I have decided to place a ceiling on how much influence someone can effect in one turn.  Just so that you guys won't feel too intimidated to answer questions or make speeches.  Sorry, but I am getting a few "woah, I can't compares" and I don't want you guys to think that.

Haha... sorry about that.

[Gabu]

Also, because of Gabu's activities, I have decided to place a ceiling on how much influence someone can effect in one turn.  Just so that you guys won't feel too intimidated to answer questions or make speeches.  Sorry, but I am getting a few "woah, I can't compares" and I don't want you guys to think that.

That is so typical Gabu.

What's so typical, that I intimidate all you weaklings?

[Gabu]

Okay, there was a bit of misunderstanding over this, and I didn't lay it out in the rules, so I woudl like to state for future reference...

If you approuch a Cardinal, you leave yourself open to a counter question.  The counter question should be answered during the present turn.

There will only be one counter question, per Cardinal, per turn.

You make the counter-question sound like a sword stab... :S

Well, as some of the players have foudn out, they can be at times. 

Out of curiosity, will they always try to nail you with a "gotcha" on a topic that you probably don't agree with them on, or will they just ask about what is most important to them regardless of what you think about it?

[Gabu]

As for the two of you who haven't voted yet, you have exactly 24 hours.  From now on, anyone who cannot vote on time will be marked as "abstain".

Have you PMed them about the vote?  Maybe they aren't aware they're supposed to vote.

[Gabu]

So has the influencing period officially started now?

[Gabu]

I coyly abstain

Something isn't coy if you openly announce it as such.

[Gabu]

I'll have these results out in a bit.  It was a very busy day for me, I was taking a lot of phone calls.

?