Deltaria

[Reddy]

Pápežate Takes Over Deltaria
March 15, 3860

Following the victory of the Great Pápežsky League, a political alliance convinced that only in Dolinka, can moral and just leadership be found, Pápež Augustus IV has agreed to accept their offer to assume the position of head of state. The 59 year old Pápež said the country required firm leadership as chaos and a union of heretics reign in Majatra.


Pápež Augustus IV

Augustus IV was born Stefan z Borec, youngest son of Gróf Alexandru z Borec. He rose through the church ranks swiftly due what most deem to have been the ‘unusual affection’ that Pápež Mircea II (3825-41) had for him. The aged Papez loaded benefice upon benefice on the young Stefan. He also served as the Papez’s personal secretary, receiving his red hat in 3828 and was a confidante of Pápež L'udovit II as well until his own election in 3846 at the age of 45, the youngest elected Papez in two centuries.

This experiment of ‘rule by the Pápež’ was last carried out between 3742 and 3749. It went badly, ending in an aristocratic coup. The Pápež and his administration believe they have learnt from the mistakes of the two Pápežes who ran Deltaria in the middle of the 38th century. There is however no expressed views as to how Augustus IV’s administration will differ other than substantially absorbing the current administrative structure and much of the tax system although greater devolution of power to the nobility is expected.

[Reddy]

Kardinál Nephew ‘Necessary’
December 23, 3860

The Pápež has defended his decision of creating the position of Kardinál Nephew. This new position will be held by a highly trusted relative who will manage most temporal affairs on behalf of His Highest Holiness. For Pápež Augustus IV, this will be his eldest nephew Kardinál Tankréd z Borec a 48 year old who was also appointed Archbiskup of Čachtice, one of the wealthiest archdioceses in the Church.


Kardinál Nephew: Tankréd z Borec

The Pápež noted that he was only formalising a position that has existed since the earliest days of the Church. The position was known as Superintendent of the Ecclesiastical State and almost always filled by a close relation of a reigning Pápež . The Pápež also, rather defensively noted that the Pápež, like any monarch, required the aid of his close relatives to navigate the often treacherous rapids of the Vatikan and to mitigate the effects of old age on vigour in government. The Pápež also said he would be giving a red hat to another nephew, Lubomir, the new Kardinal nephew's brother and will also be raising a third nephew to the nobility, becoming the Markiz of Borec and Kapitan General of the Church (Commander of the Pápežsky Guard)

[Reddy]

The Holy Office Restored
April 2, 3861

The Apostolic Palace has published a Bull Svatý Kancelář Inkvizice which re-opened the Holy Office of Inquisition in the Pápežsky States. The Holy Office had been closed soon after the Dolgavan Crusades and Inquisition in the 35th century. In the Bull, the Papez appointed his nephew Kardinal Lubomir z Borec, Archbiskup of Hradnice as Grand Inquisitor and charged him with fighting heresy in the Deltarian lands. Kardinal Borec has since announced that he will appoint 303 Inquisitors to serve in each Diocese in the Deltarian lands.


Grand Inquisitor Kardinal Borec

While the Inquisition is officially set to target both ‘heretics and heathens’, the word from Vatikan insiders is that it is primarily heretics such as adherents of the Selucian Patriarchal Church who will face the greatest focus of the process. The likely union between the SPC and the Theognosian Churches is said to have alarmed Dolinka greatly and anyway, the Pápežes have always believed that it was religious minorities and atheists who destroyed their short lived regime of direct rule in 3749. As for the other 'heretical' Church, the Apostolic Church of the East, it is rumoured that the Pápež has different plans for it and its members will not be subject to the attentions of the Holy Office.

[Reddy]

The Holy Office Continues Its Work
October 4, 3861

Dozens of high ranking Selucian Patriarchal Church officials in the southern city of Cachtice were arrested in a raid by Inquisition officials yesterday morning. They were dragged off to the local Holy Office headquarters where they were ‘sharply’ questioned on charges of heresy and of their plots on behalf of the wicked Selucan Patriarchal Church, 'the main stumbling block to Hosian unity', as the Grand Inquisitor Kardinal Borec has characterised it. This is just the latest in raids on SPC administrative centres in the Pápežsky States.


An unrepentant 'heretic's effigy burns

Since the Inquisition begun, an estimated 25,000, mostly Selucian Patriarchals and upper middle class Deltarians in general, have been arrested, tried and sentences following prolonged ‘questioning’. The Holy Office proudly proclaimed that 98% of those had seen the error of their ways and confessed to Hosianism of the Terran Patriarchal rite. These and performed acts of penance. Almost all of these either lost a great portion or all of their property which was confiscated for ‘use in charitable purposes.’

As for the remainder, the Holy Office refused to name their fate, only noting that ‘some failed to repent properly’ but did not say what happened to those ones. Traditionally such would be set to the fires yet this time only burnings in effigy occurred. Holy Office insiders say there has been a great deal of meetings between the Registrar General and the Grand Inquisitor. This has led some to believe that the non-repenters are set to be exiled from the country, perhaps with special stamps on their passports to prevent their re-entry.

[Reddy]

Economists Imprisoned
August 19, 3862

The Holy Office of the Inquisition has arrested 214 leading economists who wrote a letter to the popular daily the Nesporný Pravda criticising what they termed to be 'the ill effects' of the Inquisition on the Deltarian economy. The economists pointed out that since the Inquisition began in April 3861, an estimated 50,000 Deltarians, particularly those who adhere to faiths targeted by the Holy Office, hare fleeing the country monthly. Property confiscation have paralysed the growth of the country's small middle class and have reduced tax incomes along with the decision to replace income tax with a 'universal tithe' which is imposed even upon the meanest beggar. The economists predicted that the economy would soon enter a deep recession and possibly a budgetary crisis as well.


Some of the imprisoned economists

Grand Inquisitor Kardinal Lubomir z Borec called this letter, 'a proposal written by Satanail through his agents'. The economists were picked up by Holy Office officials and taken to Unicov Castle, a prison normally reserved for members of the nobility. The Holy Office's power has grown immensely and even the greatest noble take care to stay on good terms with it. The arrest will likely only increase the number of middle and upper middle class emigration. This will not greatly bother the Papezate though, its support base are the nobility and the lower classes. Indeed, the Secretary for Finance Barón Barbu Iorga announced that his Department would consider exempting some of the poorest citizens from the tithe although the looming deficit crisis would likely delay any such move.

[Reddy]

Pápež Calls For Vigilance
February 27, 3864


Pápež Augustus IV

In his latest encyclical to both spiritual and temporal leaders, Pápež Augustus IV has called on Hosians of western Majatra to remain 'extremely vigilant' with regards to the rise of the Ahmadi state in al'Badara. The Pápež said the jihadist state would likely take advantage of the weakness that is the tolerance we civilised Hosians practice towards those of other faiths, false and demonic as they may be." The Pápež said his own government would begin closely monitoring the country's Ahmadi minority, noting that, "Ahmadis are by indoctrination a people predisposed to senseless violence, and once an arena for violence is available as are the wastelands of al'Badara, they will seek to hurt those who reject their demonic faith."

The Pápež also congratulated Prince Juhn of Vanuku on his dynasty's restoration in Vanuku. He said the significance of the victory of the Banmek-Sntazed over godless Nazis is not to be played down and shows that once again, Boh has placed strength in righteous arms. The encyclical comes at a sensitive time in the Pápežsky States, with the economy in ruins, GDP has shrunk by 10% in the past 3 years and some view it as the first of many diversion tactics to steer away the debate from bread and butter issues.

[Reddy]

Pápež Appoints New Commission
September 18, 3864

The Pápež has appointed a nine member Commission - the Pápežsky Commission on Political Reorganisation. The Commission is charged with investigating the weaknesses f the current system and any possible political reforms which might strengthen the Pápežsky government's hold on the Deltarian territories while restoring economic prosperity as well. The Commission is to be chaired by Kardinal Yacob Haymanot, a senior Kardinal with a background in canon law and a longtime Vatikan bureaucrat. It is nearly five years since the Pápež became head of state of Deltaria and many view his current governing model as having had a negative effect on Deltaria's economy. The Deltarian Inquisition is generally singled out for much of the blame although corruption and theocratisation of the state are also mentioned a lot.

[Reddy]

Pápež Carries Out Successful Visit to Vanuku
November 24, 3864


Out and about in Wiel

Pápež Augustus IV has returned home after what widely viewed as a highly successful visit to Vanuku. The Pápež anointed and crowned Prince Juhn as the monarch of Vanuku and cemented already close ties with the House of Banmek-Sntazed. He held an open air mass to more than 700,000 Vanukuians in central Wiel and visited numerous religious shrines in the city and surrounding areas.

He also had a pleasant surprise for Vanuku - in what now was clearly a pre-conceived move, Kardinal Aldrkai Hzar the Biskup of Wiel asked the Pápež to consider waiving rules regarding beatification of an individual. The Pápež asked who this individual was and Kardinal Hzar stated that his diocese had gathered evidence of several miracles attributed to intercession of the Khagan Laurens-Wrntukai with Boh and the Blazhi.


Saint: Khagan Laurens-Wrntukai

The Pápež agreed and declared to the astonished princely court that he would return to Vanuku to hold a beatification ceremony in May 3865, having recognised the Khagan to having lived a life of virtue. The Pápež further cited his 'war against Brmek Ahmadi treachery and fickleness' and 'republican domination.' The visit seals the resurgence of the old alliance between Deltaria and Vanuku, with Indrala as well. The third partner, Jelbania sadly remains mired in what could be described as continuous instability, with governments changing year after year.

The Tripartite alliance which dominated Majatra for so much of the 37th century appears to be on its way back. The Pápež however is obliged to keep the appearance of neutrality between Hosian powers and has generally refrained from any of the old vitriolic verbal attacks that Tripartite leaders so loved to indulge in. Rejoining the Zardic dominated Majatran Union has been viewed as such a move.

[Reddy]

Pápež Augustus IV Dead
July 28, 3865

Pápež Augustus IV has passed on, ending a nineteen year pontificate. The 64 year old Pápež suffered a stroke following several stressful months which have seen two lengthy visits to the Principality of Vanuku and massive domestic pressures. The Pápež had expected to issue a Bull in the coming days, accepting some recommendations of the Haymanot Commission.

Kardinal Haymanot Elected Pápež
August 8, 3865

Following a short 36 hour conclave, Kardinal Yacob Haymanot the Archbiskup of Domale has been elected to replace Augustus IV. The 75 year old is to be the first ever (reliably documented) Pápež from Cobura. He chose the name Tomáš (IX) to honour the Pápež Tomáš VIII who made him a Prince of the Church (Kardinal) in 3824 at the age of 34. The new Pápež is the ultimate Vatikan insider, having spent four decades serving as the top legal advisor to successive Pápežes and on numerous diplomatic missions, particularly to his homeland Cobura until 3864 when he was appointed to chair the Pápežsky Commission on Political Reorganisation.


Pápež Tomáš IX


Tomáš IX’s election is credited by Vatikan watchers to a coalition between moderate reformists, the deceased Pápež’s ‘creatures’ and the foreign Kardinals. The conclave question was on just how much direct authority the Church must continue to wield over the Deltarian territories. The coalition enabled Tomáš IX to win easily on the second ballot after soundly defeating the radical reformist candidate Kardinal Janos Bathory-Bajnai and anti-reform candidate Kardinal Michail z Červený. The winning coalition appears to have balanced the need for reform with the election of a experienced and aged man who will steer the boat but not rock it too much.

[Reddy]

Pápež Tomáš IX Begins Reforms
September 16, 3866

Pápež Tomáš IX has begun carrying out political and economic reforms in the Papezsky States, at what his detractors have called a 'snail's pace'. The Pápež accepted and issued a Bull which will reintroduce an elected legislature the Veche. The new Veche will be made up of 600 members but it is clear that it will have few legislative powers. The Pápež also tasked his new Secretary for Finances Dr. Mircea Ponta with reforming taxation and reintroducing certain secular taxes in addition to the tithe. Dr. Ponta has been given the mandate to stabilise the economy and reducethe large budgetary deficit. The rest of the Secretariat has generally taken a more technocratic edge, with the Pápež proclaiming his intentions to allow his Secretaries increased autonomy in running their departments.


The Pápež and the Secretariat holding a joint press conference

The reform spirit ends there however. There has been no attempt at reforming church administration whatsoever. The new Pápež's nephews are nearly as powerful as those of his predecessor, one appointed Kardinal Nephew and the other, Markiz of Hadjod and Kapitan-General of the Church. The 'trade' in ambassadorships, curial offices and other civil service posts continues. The Inquisition continues although some of its watchers believe that the Pápež has ordered Grand Inquisitor Kardinal Lubomir z Borec to reduce the Holy Office's work - only 7,300 arrests have been made in the past year, compared to more than 45,000 from 3864-65.