Yes, it's definitely an interesting portrait of a priest! I think Howells has much more sympathy to Don Ippolito than Ferris does; Ferris never does quite seem to understand him, perhaps because he can't quite look past the stock character of a priest even as he realizes that Don Ippolito doesn't fit that mold.

Characters in nineteenth-century fiction simply cannot break their vows. Just trying - sometimes even just wanting to try! - is enough to bring on a fatal fever.