Hey everyone,
I want to share with you the second part of the interview that resulted in my romance From the Baroness’s Diary III, the Happily Ever AfterS.
After talking to everyone together, I spent a few minutes alone with Angelo to discuss a sensitive subject. So, today, we have the sweet Angelo Di Luca talking a bit about his youth experience and how he overcame it.
Question: Have you seen the recent news in the U.S. about the Catholic priests?
Angelo: Yes, we have that news here as well. In fact, the scandals are global. Sadly, as you know, the news was not new to me, nor was it shocking.
Question: Is it still upsetting for you when this comes up?
Angelo: It isn’t for me, personally. It angers me, of course. I know more than most people what these children have gone through, so it angers me that this is still a problem. But in my own case, I feel like I’ve recovered well with the help of Chloe, my brothers, and Father Adamo.
Question: How did Father Adamo help—if it’s okay for me to ask?
Angelo: One way that he helped was by being the proper representative of the church that one would expect him to be. He did his job, and he did it well. Plus he bent the rules and did us a special favor, and by doing so, I think he showed the opposite side of a bad coin, if that makes sense.
Question: But wasn’t there financial incentive for him?
Angelo: True. It wasn’t entirely altruistic. But Father Roberto and Father Adamo both crossed over a line that could cost them their positions. But one was destructive and the other was helpful.
Question: How else was Father Adamo helpful?
Angelo: Over the years we’ve talked a lot about what happened to me. I believe he was sincerely penitent on behalf of the church. He also helped me to see that the Catholic church is not unique when it comes to this problem which freed up my mind to be able to think about a Supreme Being, or immortality, or whatever one would call it. I don’t have that part of life inextricably linked to the subject of my own abuse and suffering. And that enabled me to have a healthy spiritual life again.
Question: That’s great to hear, Angelo. So you don’t harbor animosity toward the church anymore?
Angelo: I do, to an extent, because it doesn’t seem like they’ve made a lot of progress in addressing this problem. And there is the issue of their complicity when it comes to church leaders. But one of the things I learned is that it does no good to be angry at the church. It’s like focusing on one slice of a large pie. Look at how many students are abused by teachers—especially in the U.S. It’s probably much worse in less developed countries. So many soldiers, even U.N. peacekeepers, with rape scandals. And do you know who are at the top of the garbage heap when it comes to abusing children? Family members. They outnumber all of the other perpetrators combined. So, in the big picture, it’s a bit silly to think that the Catholics have a monopoly on this type of evil.
Question: When Salvatore said your family was more normal than others?
Angelo: Si. That was included, but of course he didn’t go into detail in front of the children. But we are extremely proud of being good parents to our children. They are truly loved, and have always been safe. They go to private schools, which are fortunate enough to give them that privilege, and they have been—how would I say this—home-churched. No offense to Father Adamo. He was great, but he also retired eight years ago and who knows about his replacement. You know? Part of good parenting is minimizing risk.
So, this is it for now.
Soon, my exclusive interview the Di Luca children, who will share their thoughts on their parents' life!
Stay tuned.
Love,
