Study Questions

1. What things does Francis carry with him on his trip to New Rome?

2. Why are the misborn called “Pope’s children”?

3. Why does the robber want Francis’s illuminated copy of the blueprint?

4. What does the Pope tell Francis about his work producing the illuminated copy?

5. Why does Francis want Aguerra to hear his confession?

Answers

1. Francis carries the blueprint and his illuminated copy of it, a bindlestiff, and a begging bowl on his trip to New Rome. The begging bowl is used to receive food he begs for.

2. The misborn are called “Pope’s children” because the Church declared that they had immortal souls and were fully human. By doing this, the Church protected the misborn from being exterminated.

3. The robber wants Francis’s illuminated copy of the blueprint because it’s prettier than the blueprint. This enables Francis to deliver the original copy to New Rome.

4. The Pope tells Francis that his work producing the illuminated copy was valuable because it preserved the original blueprint.

5. Francis wants Aguerra to hear his confession because Aguerra was Leibowitz’s advocate for canonization.