Week 10 Blog: On "...Paternal Advice..."

The "Paternal Advice to a New Cardinal" article struck the most interest with me this week. It did so because the article really felt like a graduation speech. I guess in some senses it was like a graduation speech. The young Giovanni has been "accepted" to be a cardinal. I understand that being a cardinal is a bit more prestigious than going to college, but the implications are the same in that the boy now gets to "grow up" and begin a new level of study; and is also going to move off to a new city and begin to mingle with brilliant people. The way the father always exemplifies the importance of the boy, he always uses it to humble him. I though this aspect of the narrative was most appealing. At my graduation speech, the spokeswomen both complimented us for our achievement and cautioned us to always be respectful in our "higher" endeavours. I wonder how many cardinals may have been in Rome at any given time during that period.