EWAN OWEN. Planet Pygar. 830 AS.

A few minutes ago, the new Pontiff has made his first public speech as Head of the New Covenant Church. From the central balcony of the Pontifical Palace, Gregorius XCVII has addressed the crowd that filled the square, and offered a whole declaration of intentions of what will be his mandate. Points as relevant as the future of our Holy Church, the fight against the Nomad Threat, or the political position that the NCC must take in the face of the problems that afflict humanity, have been addressed in this first public act of His Holiness, whose words have not left anyone indifferent. It has been an energetic speech in which no signs of indecision or doubt have been seen on the pontiff, as some sceptics expected, and in which he has explained very clear what will be the guidelines that the Church will follow in the future.


Despite His Holiness has emphasized that he has great respect for the work of his predecessor Paolus LXIV, he has also said that in recent years the Church has lost its way under his command. The new Pontiff wanted to remember that Deux Plan requires the intervention of our Holy Church in human conflicts, something that has not been done in years due to the policy of introversion to which the previous Pontiff led us. He also added that this necessary intervention in the conflicts of our human brothers cannot always be resolved in a peaceful way, unfortunately. Peace and dialogue must continue to be the main options to exhaust in the first place, but the work of the Church does not end when the words fail, but must go further. His Holiness has urged the faithful to prepare "for dark times, which should be illuminated with our love and trust in Deux", and he has also invited believers to pray more than ever, but to "accompany the prayers with acts of authentic and indisputable Faith". As he has added, "there can't be situations that prevent us from carrying out Deux's Plan".

Along the same lines, Gregorius XCVII has called on the faithful "not to tolerate acts that go against the command of Our Lord, threatening the peace and unity of humanity". The Pontiff has taken advantage of this line to give several examples on the planet Gran Canaria, once brutally occupied by bretonian military forces, or the planet Erie, which still suffers the harsh yoke of the military presence of Liberty Republic. His Holiness has recalled that these impious acts against the search for peace are "abominable crimes for which the governments of such states have their hands stained with blood", and has asked believers to pray so that no more deaths of innocent people occur. The Pontiff has said that he understands the anger and rage that most peaceful citizens of Gran Canaria and Erie feel at an act of nonsense like this unjustified acts of barbarism. "I can't blame any person, any peaceful citizen, for defending what he considers his natural right, as a human, which is to live in freedom and harmony with his brothers, in a free land. Violence unfortunately breeds more violence, and that's the main problem that plagues our existence, but sometimes it seems there is no other way", His Holiness has said.

However, Gregorius XCVII addressed all those good-hearted people, among whom there will undoubtedly be some followers of the Faith of Deux, and asked them to calm down, and to prioritize dialogue over violence. "Brutality must always be regretted, and can only be embraced when the word is not an option, since otherwise, we become what we fight against.", he said.


In another order of things, His Holiness has advanced that he intends to regain relations with former business partners and military allies, as well as working towards making some new ones, and that the NCC's policy will be one of opening again, "as it should never have ceased to be". As the Pontiff has said, the Church's economy is in an alarming situation that must be urgently solved, so he will order the Curia, and specifically Monsignor Charles Richelieu, Minister of Economy and Trade Relations, to restart NCC old Trade Division. Likewise, Gregorius XCVII has begged the faithful to make a personal effort and enlist in the crews of the transport ships when the call is made for it. "The survival of our Holy Church, and with it Deux's Sacred Plan, are in our hands", he wanted to remember.

As our readers will be able to observe, the words of the new Pontiff indicate a clear way that radically separates from the path that the Head of our Church has been taking in recent years. We can only pray that these changes are blessed by Our Lord Deux Machina and that our new leader leads us to the fulfillment of His Holy Word.