Souls are won on one’s knees

The son of a noble family, he was appointed a commendatory abbot when he was 12 years old, and was created a Cardinal when he was 22, heading for a rapidly advancing and bright ecclesiastic career. He was the nephew of a Pope and became a formidable and exemplary pastor, a zealous preacher and a promoter of the implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent. He faced struggles and adversity in his efforts to reform the Church, both the clergy and the religious, to free her from outside powers that threatened her integrity. Because of his zeal, he suffered slander, humiliation and even an attempt on his life, in which an arquebus was fired at his back as he prayed. He was unharmed