This must surely be the 10076'th sign of the apocalypse.

If anyone knows when it is comming, it is surely The Pope.

Upgrading his "special troops" is just what is needed before the demons come hauling up from the earth.

The cover-up is of course not so much to prevent people from worrying (after all - getting people to worry about their future is what the Catholic church is all about), but rather to catch the Devil unaware.

The Gendarmerie Antiterrorism Squad ... Our chief weapon is surprise... and fear...fear and surprise Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

Nobody expects...!

Hey,

Vatican is changing... last time they had anything to do with terrorism was during operation Gladio and P2 (Propaganda 2) lodge but strangely enough, at the time they were as effective with anti-terrorism enquiries as they are co-operating on peadophilia cases today!

First it's crack anti-terrorist vicars and the next thing you know they'll be recording our prayers and data-mining them to use for targeted omens so your revelation experience can be more relevant....

Hi there, 21st century here, you're welcome to join us at any time you please.

will they have the Antiochian hand-grenades?

it's just "God making them stupid"

Ahh, the Book Of Armaments, Chapter 4, versus 9 to 21, unless you skip a bit. Let's just hope that the "Rabbit of Caerbannog" is not resurrected.

"It will cost 60 gold to upgrade this unit of Pikemen to Riflemen."

I wonder if Vatican already has Barracks built?

(Mine's the one with the Microprose logo)

You may be on to something... after all, ignorance is bliss, so it could be a reward for their faith

@P. Lee

The Pope already has these. You don't know about them because he keeps them under his hat.

The pope is not the anti-christ! He is, however, an excellent candidate for the false prophet, ie, the #2 spot.

"Pff, everyone knows that when the demons come through, the only thing that will stop them is a lone marine, left in his base while his comrades in the initial assault get slaughtered.

he will then enter the fray armed only with a pistol and his bare fists, to take on the hell-spawn."

Nah, this time he'll be given the BFG9000 from the start, after reciting the holy scriptures of IDKFA and IDDQD.

Vatican guards have been armed with various types of subs for awhile.

The pole-axe is for back scratching, cheese cutting and beheading heretics.

The costumes are just mod.

this is nothing but a ploy by the vatican to reinstate the spanish inquisition.

thanks to their access to interpol they will now be able to track heretics all over the world.

the black hel(l)icopter because that's what the inquisition death squads will descenfd upon us in.

The Pope has apparently just found the method to get Creationism taught instead of Evolution in the schools...the Holy Hitmen!!!

Has sci-fi taught you nothing? It's always the guys with awesome melee weapons (see pole-axes) that win in a fight. Especially in Sci-fi RTS games. So if the pope has a special command and control screen to order the poleaxe guys around with, they're our best hope of stemming the alien / demon tides. Especially if they were to mount flamethrowers in the ends of their pole-axes.

Mine's the flame-retardant one.

...the Vatican dazzles us with its modern approach. IIRC, the last such surprise was the pope admitting that the earth is indeed an ellipsoid, only half a millennium after that had been conclusively proven by repeated circumnavigation.

And yet it moves...

@Ferry Boat

Quite the Xenuphobe, aren't we? *chuckle*

Mine's the one with the Operation Clambake print.

I for one welcome back our old papal overlords.