Editing Pope Clement VII (section)

=== Character ===

[[File:Giorgio vasari, cena in casa di san gregorio magno, 1540, da s. giovanni in bosco, 04.jpg|thumb|Pope Clement VII as [[Saint Gregory the Great]] by [[Giorgio Vasari]]]]
Clement was renowned for his intelligence and counsel, but maligned for his inability to take timely and decisive action. Historian G.F. Young writes, "he spoke with equal knowledge of his subject whether that were philosophy and theology, or mechanics and hydraulic architecture. In all affairs he displayed an extraordinary acuteness; the most perplexing questions were unravelled, the most difficult circumstances penetrated to the very bottom, by his extreme sagacity. No man could debate a point with more address."<ref>{{cite book |last= Young|first= G.F.|date= 1930|title= The Medici, Vol. 1|location= London|publisher= University Press of the Pacific|page= 437|isbn= 0898754127}}</ref> Historian Paul Strathern writes, "his inner life was illuminated by an unwavering faith;" he was also in "surprisingly close contact with the ideals [of Renaissance humanism], and even more surprisingly was deeply sympathetic to them."<ref name="Strathern"/> For example, "Clement VII had no difficulty in accepting [[Copernicus]]'s [[heliocentrism|heliocentric idea]], and appeared to see no challenge to his faith in its implications; his Renaissance humanism was open to such progressive theories."<ref name="Strathern"/> Of Clement's other qualities, Strathern writes "he had inherited [[Giuliano de Medici|his murdered father]]'s good looks, though these tended to lapse into a dark scowl rather than a smile. He also inherited something of his great-grandfather [[Cosimo de' Medici]]'s skill with accounts, as well as a strong inclination to his legendary caution, making the new pope hesitant when it came to taking important decisions; and unlike his cousin Leo X, he possessed a deep understanding of art."<ref name="Strathern"/>

Of Clement's limitations, historian [[Francesco Guicciardini]] writes, "although he had a most capable intelligence and marvelous knowledge of world affairs, he lacked the corresponding resolution and execution.... He remained almost always in suspension and ambiguous when he was faced with deciding those things that from afar he had many times foreseen, considered, and almost revealed."<ref>{{cite book |last= Guicciardini|first= Francesco|date= 1969|title= The History of Italy; translated, edited, with notes and an introduction by Sydney Alexander|location= Princeton|publisher= Princeton University Press|page= 363|isbn= 0691008000}}</ref> Strathern writes that Clement was "a man of almost icy self-control, but in him the Medici trait of self-contained caution had deepened into a flaw.... If anything, Clement VII had too much understanding—he could always see both sides of any particular argument. This had made him an excellent close adviser to his cousin Leo X, but hampered his ability to take matters into his own hands."<ref name="Strathern"/> The ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' notes that while his "private life was free from reproach and he had many excellent impulses ... despite good intention, all qualities of heroism and greatness must emphatically be denied him."<ref name="newadvent.org" />
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