Answer:
Petrarch believed Christian scholars should study writers of pagan Rome because he believed there was a cultural continuum from pagan to Christian Rome.
Step-by-step explanation:
Petrarch was a devout Christian and saw no conflict between the realization of human potential and religious faith. And, because of this lack of conflict, he had opinions that were quite dissonant with the way of thinking of his time. He is also considered the father of humanism, which also as a secularist root.