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mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

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Mistress <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Vatican<br />

Unable to take <strong>the</strong> position herself, Olimpia already had a replacement<br />

picked out. She needed someone who was young enough and<br />

obedient enough to permit her to run <strong>the</strong> Vatican by serving as a front<br />

for her and doing every little thing she said. She found <strong>the</strong> perfect candidate<br />

in Francesco Maidalchini, <strong>the</strong> seventeen-year-old son <strong>of</strong> her halfbro<strong>the</strong>r,<br />

Andrea. Olimpia had originally planned for him to marry her<br />

granddaughter, Olimpiuccia, <strong>the</strong>reby keeping all <strong>the</strong> money in <strong>the</strong> family,<br />

but now she saw a better opportunity. Soon after Camillo’s resignation,<br />

she had Francesco named abbot <strong>of</strong> her church at San Martino and<br />

a canon <strong>of</strong> Saint Peter’s. She told <strong>the</strong> pope that this boy would be his<br />

next cardinal nephew.<br />

The minimum age requirement for a cardinal was twenty-two. But<br />

<strong>the</strong> pope could grant a dispensation to make a newborn a cardinal, if he<br />

wanted. For political reasons Paul V gave <strong>the</strong> red hat to a ten-year-old<br />

Spanish prince in 1619, knowing that youth was <strong>the</strong> one handicap guaranteed<br />

to pass away with time. And manhood came earlier in past centuries.<br />

Seventeen-year-olds married, fa<strong>the</strong>red children, slashed <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

way across battlefields, and toiled in <strong>the</strong>ir pr<strong>of</strong>essions.<br />

But Francesco Maidalchini had very little in <strong>the</strong> way <strong>of</strong> intelligence<br />

and an unattractive appearance to boot. Gregorio Leti described him as<br />

having “a stupid expression, nei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> air nor <strong>the</strong> appearance <strong>of</strong> a<br />

man, with no experience <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, ignorant <strong>of</strong> letters and even incapable<br />

<strong>of</strong> learning <strong>the</strong>m, brutal and disagreeable in his actions and his<br />

words, badly made in body and mind, and carried away entirely with<br />

exercises and diversions low and unworthy to people <strong>of</strong> quality.” 4<br />

The pope was fond not only <strong>of</strong> attractive women but <strong>of</strong> handsome<br />

men as well. He could barely stand to look at ugly people—it seemed to<br />

truly pain him—and he believed a person’s appearance reflected <strong>the</strong><br />

virtues and intelligence radiating from within. It is not known what Innocent<br />

thought when looking in <strong>the</strong> mirror, but he was clearly displeased<br />

when looking at little snub-nosed Francesco Maidalchini.<br />

Seeing <strong>the</strong> pope’s hesitation, Olimpia <strong>of</strong>fered to put <strong>the</strong> boy under<br />

<strong>the</strong> instruction <strong>of</strong> top cardinals to bring him up to speed quickly. “But<br />

this was no more than to sow Corn upon a Rock,” Leti wrote. “Maidalchini<br />

had no capacity to receive any thing at all, having brought an<br />

[ 213 ]

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