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The Secretariat of State
To all nations in Mundus,
On behalf of his holiness Pope Peter II, I Cardinal Adalberto Giancola, Secretary of State, whish to invite delegates from any and every nation to attend the annual and one of the celebrated Christian festivals in the Church, namely Michaelmas...Let me tell you what it's all about:
It's a feast day celebrating the Archangels. It follows the fall Ember Days during which Christians traditionally thank God for his creation and the bounty of the earth and fasted penitentially. Michaelmas is a Holy Day of Obligation and honors St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. St. Michael fought against Lucifer and the fallen angels and defended the friends of God. St. Gabriel announced the coming of Jesus to the Virgin Mary and also the coming of John the Baptist to Zachariah. St. Raphael is found in the book of Tobit. There are many activities that are held on this special day, such as various sports, games and horse races. One of the few flowers left around at this time of year is the Michaelmas daisy. Hence the rhyme: "The Michaelmas daisies, among dead weeds, Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds ..."
Traditional meal for the day includes goose (a "stubble-goose", i.e. one prepared around harvest time). The custom of baking a special bread or cake, called Sruthan Mhěcheil , St Michael's bannock, or Michaelmas Bannock on the eve of the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel probably originated in the celtic nations. The bread is made from equal parts of barley, oats, and rye without using any metal implements. In remembrance of absent friends or those who had died, special Struans, blessed at an early morning Mass, are given to the poor in their names. Nuts are traditionally cracked on Michaelmas Eve.
Michaelmas is also the last day that blackberries can be picked. It is said that when St. Michael expelled Lucifer, the devil, from heaven, he fell from the skies and landed in a prickly blackberry bush. Satan cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath, and stamped and spat on them, so that they would be unfit for eating. As it is considered ill-advised to eat them after 29 September, a Michaelmas pie is made from the last of the season.
Now as for practical information, all guests will either arrive by ferry or boat, a few by train or car. In any case depending on which transporation device one takes, y'all will be taken to St. Peter's Basilica where everyone will have the chance to greet and meet the holy father before mass commences in which he'll naturally lead. Afterwards the highly regarded Vatican dinner will be held in the Apostolic Palace, in which the menu was chosen by the Pope himself to suit all needs necessary, this dinner will also surve the purpose of getting to know each other better as well as meet up old friends...More info will be revealed later as soon as Michaelmas will be held.
In any case please respond to this invite so we know how many delegates each nation will send for bureaucratic reasons and what not. All of us in ES can't wait for your arrival and celebrate Michaelmas with us!
Take Care and God Bless,
The Holy See.
*OOC: MASS IS OPTIONAL, MAY ONLY ATTEND DINNER
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Rzeczpospolita Solónya
Republic of Solonia
Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dear Cardinal Giancola,
I wish to accept this invitation on behalf of President Misiaszek. The President is a devout Catholic so, as you can probably understand, he is very excited to represent his country at this event and to meet with the Pope. The Catholic Church plays an integral part in Solonian life so the President attending Michaelmas and having dinner with the pope will of course be a very proud moment for people back home in Solonia too. Travelling with the President will be his wife, Zygfryda, and their eldest daughter, Olga. The President looks forward to seeing you.
Take care and God bless,
Więcesław Bilski
Minister of Foreign Affairs
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The Apostolic Palace, the Vatican, ES: Michaelmas 2017 - His holiness Pope Peter II aka "The Young" Pope was in the dining hall to be served his breakfast by one of the nuns who was his personal chef, and oh boy how excited he became upon witnessing the plate (http://www.farmanddairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/breakfast.jpg), oh wait also a second (https://s8.favim.com/orig/72/breakfast-delicious-food-pancakes-Favim.com-697496.jpg) one. "Oh my sister, you didn't need to make much hehe...", in which she simply responsed by saying that he would need a lot of food for this years Michaelmas and gave him a kiss on his forehead as if he was her own little son, much to TYP's annoyance but she was old and senile after all he understood. "Well then time to tuck in I suppose..."
Some time later...
Cardinal Adalberto Giancola, Secretary of State (http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/01/14/d51fd6edbc4112f096da114757d3fca27530c3d0423d3755fc807181801f27560fdc2b1b698f8bd41fdf4000906d641a-1484359812711_1280w.jpg), Cardinal Barthélemy Houdin, Secretary for the Economy (https://hablemosdeseries.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/fox-premium-the-young-pope-scott-shepherd-es-el-cardenal-dussolier.jpg) and Cardinal Jarosław Cieslewicz, Secretary for Ecclesiastical Security (https://typeset-beta.imgix.net/2017/1/13/a1ffb914-6115-48d0-b702-bad5913dfded.jpg) were just chatting intriguely right outside TYP's office as each and one of them just had a discussion with him regarding the current policies of ES, recent events and significant topics. "Gentlemen, Adalberto said, "First of all ES is now on a better path diplomatically and economically speaking, the fact that our foreign relations have been updated and renewed as well as the fact that the Capitalist Revolution is ongoing, the future that the Lord has decided for us looks prosperous...when it comes to the security side of things, there still needs improvement on that front.". Houdin and Ciselewicz agreed, especially the latter. "My friend, if only our Pope could just listen to me, it's not enough by setting our terrorist alert to the highest, deploying heavily armed Sanfidisti and military as well as hitting hard those Sionists bastards right where they're at...it's also about the leadership, the main orchestrator who's supposed to keep the orchestra well-functioning. It makes me worried when he appointed (Cardinal) Étienne (Chaufourier, General-Superior of the Blessed Office of the Sacred Inquisition) (http://seriesandtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jeremy-irons-borgias-alexander-pope-rodrigo-showtime.jpg), there's something about him which is fishy that I can't seem to put the finger on...I may be the overall head of the Security section, but Étienne has the tendency to override authority; I've spoken to Mario (Espina, Captain-General of the Blessed Office of the Inquisition for the Treasury) (http://wwwimage4.cbsstatic.com/base/files/cast/75542e564c2618d6_cm_cast_joemantegna_800x1000.jpg) and he also agrees that something isn't right and...".
The Cardinals gathered suddenly became silent as Charfourier passed them by, greeting them with a hello followed by a smile; likewise with the trio putting on fake smiles...clearly the tension between them were there. The General-Superior entered the office and saw TYP, smoking (https://i.cnnturk.com/ps/cnnturk/75/630x0/591ee3a561361f155c139dd9.jpg). "My friend, I know I need to quit this junk considering I plan to rule long, God willing naturally, but this is one of the few sinful things that can put me at ease besides meditation, prayer and taking my sports car out in the open during midnight...In any case, welcome and great to see you I hope you love your new post!". Charfourier began by informing him about the current acitivities of the Blessed Inquisition and the current situation in those regards. "Your holiness, the Sionists are clever little devils indeed but rest assured that all organisations within the security are working to their fullest to ensure that all citizens can feel safe and focus on their duties...In any case I must bid my farewell now, good luck to the Michaelmas today...". With that said Charfourier showed an evil smile while leaving the office, know that he'd achieved his dream position anything was possible now...to further his true goals.
Some time later...again...
It was soon time for the large mass which means that the entire St. Peter's Basilica would be filled with locals and visitors alike, from the poorest to the richest citizens, especially now that TYP started the Capitalist Revolution. As the cardinals, the government "ministers" and other clergy were descending to the Basillica itself, TYP had to of course dress up for, not just for the mass but also for the evening itself. "A'ight, let's do this!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFMDVH4lqSU) ...Meanwhile, Secretary of State Giancola was waiting at a side-entrance to the complex, waiting to receive the foreign dignitaries who would first attend the mass; the others who would join the dinner later would simply enter the Palace itself. "*Sigh* I wonder who'll celebrate with us this year..." he muttered for himself, at least there was a Under-Secretary of State, a real professional who did most of the work, Giancola was more of a posterboy (according to himself, which wasn't true exactly, hehehe)
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المملكة الراشدية العظيمه
The Rashidun Kingdom
ولي عهد الراشدي حماه الله عز و جل
Prince Ismail Rodulf Arasiflver, Crown Prince of Rashidun
Your Gracious Cardinal Giancola,
It is my absolute pleasure to inform you that my father, King Hans of Rashidun, And I accept your invitation with the warmest welcomes and look forward to meet you in this most holy holiday in the Holy See, Though our religious beliefs differ, It doesn't make us rivals nor enemies, Infact We shall advocate unity between our beliefs of a one god, Though our ideals of performance are scarcely different, We do have much in common, Again I am absolutely excited to attend this festival.
May God bestows his mercy and luck upon hou,
Prince Ismail Rodulf Äräsilfver
Crown Prince of Rashidun