A Celtic Casear Salad (Atonesinla and ES)

[The Young Pope]

The Ecclesiastical State

To:- Caesar Iestyn C. Caradoc

The year 900 AD could be simply a random year for anyone one could ask, however not when it comes to the Federation of Atonesinla and the Celestian Catholic Church, as that's when the first Christian missionaries reached the country under the blessed leadership of Pope Benedict IV and thus setting alight a rapid transformation that would bring the tribes of Atonesinla into the Light and Eternal Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. From then on a blessed and glorious relationship between the Federation and the Ecclesiastical State has been continuing for over a milennia, facing the hardest of hardships against all odds and prevailing in the end; that is the testimony of being a true and loyal Christian.

This is why on behalf of His Holiness, Pope Peter II, I will visit the Federation alongside close associates and members of Prime Minister Francois Soubois' cabinet in the hopes of once more establishing proper relations through discussions that will take place with your representatives and potentially yourself, His Excellency Caradoc. It is our hope that the Federation eagerly would accept this proposal and prepare in advance our arrival; it is thus wishful that the upcoming meeting will only become the better out of it and who knows where celestial destiny will take us all.

Take Care and God Bless,

Cardinal Emilé Fava, Governor-General of the Ecclesiastical State

[generalissimo]

Communique from the Federation of Atonesinla

To-Cardinal Emilé Fava of the Ecclesiastical State
From-the Caesarist Secretarial and Communique Department of Atonesinla

His Eminence Emilé Cardinal Fava,

On behalf of the nation and every tribe of Atonesinla I accept this chance to develop deeper diplomatic ties to the most holy Ecclesiastical State. Atonesinla of course owes a great debt to the Church- we owe our identity and our chance of salvation to the Church, and give thanks to the Church for bringing Atonesinla out of the barbarism that it was prior. The Church granted us a nation and we offer but our unyielding loyalty and devotion in return. We, therefore, are exceptionally pleased to hear of your visit, Your Eminence.

We shall arrange for Your Eminence, and for the honorable members of the Soubois' cabinet, a grand tour, from Arfordir y Sant in the south to Tir y Tywysog in the north and every other major city, and you shall be personally accompanied by me and the Minister for Religious Affairs, plus a delegation from each major political party. We anxiously await the visit.

Asking the blessing of Your Eminence, I am, Yours respectfully in Christ,
Iestyn C. Caradoc, Caesar of the Federation

[The Young Pope]

Cardinal Emilé Fava had the privilege once more to travel abroad, preferring that than to spend eternities behind the Vatican's walls or hooking up with mundane old folks, as he was designated as the Governor-General of the Ecclesiastical State by His Holiness Pope Peter II; that role came with many great privileges making him the Pope's foremost representative in Ecclesiastical matters and being granted reserve powers while at the same time undertaking huge responsibilities and dedication to the job.

Accompanying him on the trip was Adam Sütler, Deputy-Prime Minister and Secretary of State, acting also as the leader of the National Democrats who were currently in a decades long grand coalition with their longstanding ally the Social Democrats under the leadership of Prime Minister François Soubois. These parties are generally considered to be responsible for creating the current, successful welfare state from the early 20th century, propelling the Church state in limitless prosperity and strengthening the nation's role to become a supreme regional power in Mundus, their parties together mostly receiving the majority of votes in parliament and at worst ruling the nation through a minority government but still managed to push through their policies with little to no effort at all, thus also cementing the reputation as one of the most stable in the world.

Other cabinet members included the Secretary of Defence and the Secretary of Commerce, whose well-needed expertise were welcomed dearly on this trip. The final significant member to come along was Mother Arilda, who happened to be one of the Young Pope's former mentors when he was still a lil' kiddo and the Mother General Superior of the Association of the Immaculate Heart, a worldwide order and charity driven by nuns, eagerly waiting to establish themselves in Atonesinla.

The Cardinal was looking forward to be meeting with the Caesar, as long as ample food and alcoholic beverages were provided to keep his collective mind in good order, as well as wanting to learn more about the country's culture, people and system of government. What striked him the most was nation's insistence on remaining with the Catholic Church despite enduring centuries of eternal pressures from for example heretical teachings of Luther, Calvin and others or even Pagan religions from afar. Whatever the case might've been, one could only hope it would last longer and beyond.

The plane finally arrived at the city of Arfordir y Sant, as it taxied its way to the hosts eagerly awaiting the Eccesiastical presence, with flickering cameras and reporters givng the last updates to the audiences as the plane door was finally opened. Cardinal Fava first exited, before the cabinet members and Mother Arilda followed suite, descending from the red carpet and proceeded to walk up to the Celts. "Caesar  Caradoc thank you for receiving us in person, God Bless as this is truly a warm and inviting welcome into your humble abode." The Cardinal greeted, embracing and giving the customary kisses and likewise everyone doing the same procedure.

[generalissimo]

The Caesar, Iestyn Caradoc, returned the greeting, saying: "Your Eminence! Welcome to the grand Federation. You must be hungry from such a long flight. Lets eat first, in the Summer Palace here... it used to be owned by the Atonesinlan royal family before their disappearance, though admittedly only built in 1923, and is one of the taller buildings in Atonesinla." and smiled and grabbed and shook the hand of the Cardinal. Facing unpopularity stemming from ongoing protests against the rule of his party he desperately needed a win of some sort. He hoped that the visit of the Cardinal may improve his popularity, at least in the short term. He was flanked by representatives of his party, the Organic Federationist Movement (SFO), who had long ruled Atonesinla and, thanks to the constitution basically guaranteeing it, were certain to hold power for many more years. As such the type of person that would become an SFO official slowly changed from idealistic youths, back in the '40s, to middle aged, greying, old men, mostly interested in running the country like a giant bureaucracy.

Also present was the party bigwigs of the Movement to Democratise the Republic (SDW), the main opposition party. Well, opposition is a strong term to use when the party usually sides with the party in power and supports the current government staying in power. In truth the SDW was more like an autonomous branch of the SFO rather than true opposition. Its politicians were mocked for this, often shown by caricaturists in the press as puppets on strings. The Democratic-Labour Party, a onetime coalition partner of the SFO back in the '60s and '70s, was also present. There had recently been arguments in the party about whether the party was too moderate so its grandees were glad to take a break from the running of the party for a few days.

The only party not present was the PGCA, the Christian Communist Party of Atonesila. An ostensibly Catholic party, many would expect it to be present, but in truth the party followed its own, strange, version of Christianity and while the party itself wasn't present several of its members were, though admittedly as a group protesting. Loudly.

As he led the visitors towards the Summer Palace he turned to Internal Security Minister Eirian Rhisiart and, in as quiet voice as he could, told the minister: "Rhisiart, I want these damn Reds gone now. Use tear gas, riot police, hell, even use live ammunition if you want. Disappear them, whatever. Just get them them out of here. Last thing we need are riots, or heavens forbid some idiot attacking the Cardinal.". Rhisiart replied: "Certainly, your excellency, but you should first take the Cardinal to-", Caradoc leaned in again "Now Rhisiart. Now, or you're gone by tomorrow.". He turned back to the Cardinal, "Young Eirian here will just be leaving to handle some of the preparations for our next destination, Ddinas Euraid, our largest city actually..." and smiled to himself. This visit will go great.

[The Young Pope]

The Ecclesiastical delegation were most certainly impressed by the Summer Palace and the encompassing area in Arfordir y Sant, especially Deputy Prime Minister Sütler who was a staunch nationalist and generally approved and supported the uniqueness of each nation in terms of culture and people, "I have to say Caradoc, Atonesinla already impressed us early on and we can't wait to see what your country has yet to offer." he commented positively as the group followed the Caesar to the lunch. What was however more annoying was the outbreak of a communist protests, much to the Cardinal's shock as they dared to identify them as Catholics at the same time even though the Decree Against Communism of 1949 was still in effect and automatically excommunicated those members. He took the opportunity to remind the Caesar, perhaps he would use it as an opportunity if he hadn't done so already.

"Ddinas Euraid sounds exciting." the Cardinal commented, "May I ask His Excellency how Atonesinla's faring today domestically and internationally? I hope your party's still holding up despite the pressures it's currently facing."

[generalissimo]

"Admittedly... it, uh, could be better. Unemployment has been rising month after month after some rather nasty economic shocks... so has inflation... growths falling quickly... well, the boys from the Central Bank and that free market think tank gave me advice on how to fix this mess but those bozos,", he said pointing to the rest of the Atonesinlan group, "well, they don't like it. Say that the proposals are too radical and unworkable. You know, I think they just don't want privatise some of the state industries because it doesn't play well with the constituents back home...", he said with a sigh, "then there's the Reds. Can't ban them, can't compromise with them... its a shame we can't just line them up against a wall and shoot them. Hell, they aren't even Catholic really... at least, its hard to call them that when their Deputies openly call Marx a saint and some of their... less educated members... call him the fourth person of a quadrenity. There's even reports that they still have a paramilitary, despite agreeing to disarm. The reds in the media want my head because of that damned incident during the elections. Sure, we may have used some less than savoury tactics, but if a Caesar does it how can it be illegal? Internationally.... the party has always advocated mostly isolationism and I can't go against the party- but so little trade is killing the economy.". It was clear from the tone of his voice that he was stressed and exhausted.

The Atonesinlan delegation led the visitors to the door of the palace, which was then opened to them, and took the group to a large dining hall. The dining hall was decorated rather garishly. The flooring was mahogany, with a wine-red carpet leading to the seats. There were four tall, but relatively thin, windows and the curtains were also red, and were tied back. An admittedly cheap looking chandelier hung overhead and some cracks in the walls were clearly visible. In short the decorator clearly had little love for the job.

"Please, please, sit down, sit down, lets eat." the Caesar said, gesturing to his guests to sit at the scattered tables. As the guests sat down and started to eat several loud bangs were heard... and so was Caradoc heard muttering under his breath something about "that damned Rhisiart". Out of the window, though admittedly rather hard to see, police could be seen firing on protestors.... and then the protestors could be seen firing back. Some of the SFO could be seen holding their heads in the their hands while DFL officials were taking notes, possibly on how they could use this come the election period. The State-President was desperately trying to close the curtains. "Well... thats just... its just some police measures. Nothing to look at really. Say, Cardinal, why don't you tell us about the Ecclesiastical State... how are things there? Things... well, they must be more stable than, well, that...." the Caesar said, trying to distract from what was going on outside.

[The Young Pope]

"I would recommend using the power of the pen first rather than the sword to guide these lost souls to the light, after all it's the proper Christian way of handling heretics." the Cardinal simply said before answering Caradoc's question. "Well in terms of more stable, we do have our fair share of issues like everyone else, especially when dealing with foreigners who refuse to abide by our country's traditions and values. Though I'm glad our government never seems t change in terms of party composition, makes it easier when counting the votes on election day." Fava said humorously.

The Ecclesiastical guests quietly ate their delicious meal befre taking the opportunity once more to ask question. "So tell me my Caradoc, what is it you'd like to gain out from us Ecclesiasticals in terms of a treaty?"

[generalissimo]

[OOC]
I have some IRL stuff rn so won't have something written up for a few days. I'm really sorry for this.