'Most handsome man in Italy' stops being a model to become a priest
A man who was once voted the most handsome in Italy quit his job as a model and abandoned his dream of becoming an actor to join the priesthood.
Edoardo Santini, 21, was voted the most handsome man in Italy in 2019, when he was 17, in a contest organized by ABE, a fashion group.
However, after years of studying theater and dance to fulfill his dream of becoming a star, he took to social media on Saturday, December 2, to announce that he would give up his career because of his faith.
He wrote: “At 21, I find myself on the path to becoming a priest, God willing.”
He added that he joined a seminary near Florence.
“I decided to abandon modeling, acting and dancing, but I'm not going to abandon all my passions, just live them in a different way, offering them to God,” said the native of Castel Fiorentino.
He added: “At 21, my father made the decision to marry my mother because she was pregnant and my mother, at 21, became a mother.
“I, at 21 years old, am walking the path to become, God willing, a priest. In recent years I have been able to meet people who have shown me what it means to be 'church'.
“They gave me the strength to investigate this issue that I have carried with me since childhood, but several fears prevented me from studying it more deeply. Last year I took the first step,” she said.
Edoardo said he went to live with two priests and called it “the best experience of my life.”
“At the end of the year it was natural for me to ask the bishop to join the preparatory course, the year before life at the seminary. And here I am, studying theology and serving two parishes in the Florentine diocese.”
Now, he says, “I left my work as a model and dancer aside”, in favor of a new “world” where “I met wonderful people, with pure hearts, to whom I owe a lot, who allowed me to grow”.
“Of course I’m not going to abandon everything,” he added. “Because they make me who I am, but I'm going to experience them in a different context.”
Edoardo said he would continue to follow his new path despite the negative reaction.
He said: “Of course I have people who talk behind my back. There are those who have no problem telling me that I am a disappointment, even in my family. But there are also those who support me, believers and non-believers.”
He said that although it “terrified” him to abandon his dream and become a priest, he was sure he would not regret the decision “because now I can shout: I am Edoardo, I am 21 years old and I am happy”.
In a video shared on his Instagram page last week, he shared a clip of himself appearing to pray in a church, with the caption: “I'm back on my path.”
He also updated his profile bio to “I’m a Christian, aspiring priest.”
Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com