On the basis of these statistics, and broader revision of the historiography of the medieval Inquisition, the modern historical consensus is that Gui's inquisitorial career was characterised by moderation and leniency rather than cruelty or mercilessness; Janet Shirley states that Gui was "more interested in penitence than punishment" and generally sought to reconcile heretics to the Church. However, this interpretation has been challenged by James B. Given, who compares Gui's rates of execution unfavourably to those of secular courts in France, England, and Italy. Furthermore, based on a close reading of Gui's inquisitorial texts Karen Sullivan has argued that he "rank among the more zealous of inquisitors" in his thought, if not actions, claiming that Gui was motivated more by a desire to safeguard the wider church community from heresy than a concern for the salvation of the individual accused heretic.