Excommunication is one of the most annoying features of MTW2, as the Pope prevents you from expanding your empire into Christian territories if you rule a Christian country. What can you do to prevent this other than converting to another faith? This video shows you how to do that. It also shows you how to make some diplomatic solutions work despite the diplomatic problems in this game.

Note: I forgot to mention that it's important to keep an eye on the Popeometer because if it reaches zero you will be excommunicated. If that happens because you attacked a Catholic city, for example, you might not receive a notification of the excommunication and suddenly find that all your crusading armies are about to desert. You can get the Popeometer back to its maximum using the method shown in this video – the higher you are in the Pope's esteem, the longer you can defeat Catholic states. You also increase your status with the Pope by hiring priests, building churches and converting pagans, BUT ALSO by improving your diplomatic status with the Pope.

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