#conclave hc

what if Benítez asked Tedesco for Italian literature recommendations and they bonded over it?

I'm picturing a couple months after the conclave, he decides that since he's going to be living there for the foreseeable future he might as well learn more about Italian culture and literature in general right? so the next time they cross paths he asks Tedesco about it. hey, what are some Italian classics, the must-reads that you'd recommend?

I imagine he must've read some, but not a lot. Dante, of course, Umberto Eco for something more modern, but there's a lot of classic literature out there and a lot of classics that are recognised as such within a culture but are perhaps not as well renown outside of it.

so at first Tedesco is surprised because "why is the pope asking me for book recs?" but he is a very proud Italian man and if he doesn't have Strong Opinions about literature I'll eat my hat. so he starts to speak and when he notices Benítez is genuine, actually paying attention and smiling encouraging because he actually cares about the answer, he gets more animated because, well, he does know a lot, and he cares a lot, about Italian literature. that's his country! hes proud to be Italian! there's a lot of excellent classics that, in his opinion, absolutely everyone must read! especially the new pope! at some point Benítez might even start taking notes because he's adorable.

anyways, not only does Benítez actually read what he recommends, but also he took his "let me know what you think" comment seriously and maybe a month after that conversation he gets a letter from the Vatican, from the Pope, in his residence in Venice and imagine his surprise when he opens it to find.... the Pope's thoughts on Boiardo*. and not only has the Pope actually sent him a letter with his thoughts on the epic, but he's also wrong. so Tedesco does what he does best: sits at his computer and composes a critical response to the Pope. then he emails it to him. then the very next evening the Pope rings him up. and then Tedesco spends half an hour on the phone with the pope criticising his misunderstanding of the poem, pointing out his lack of knowledge of the context, including but not limited to Italian history, culture and the politics of the time.

afterwards, the pope thanks him for a very fruitful and enlightening conversation, and says he's looking forward to the next time, after he finishes reading the next item on his list.

anyways, this is how benitesco can still win