The theologian Alberto Maggi, interviewed by the weekly newspaper “Oggi” tomorrow at the kiosk, paints an unpublished portrait of the “shepherdess” who saw the Madonna: “a free spirit”
Father Alberto Maggi, theologian, religious of the Order of the Servants of Mary. And of Bernadette, who first became a nun and was canonized in 1933, she paints a portrait that goes beyond the halo. “His sanctity is undeniable. Bernadette embodies the Beatitudes: she resembles the poor in spirit and those persecuted because of the humiliations she suffered in the monastery», says Father Maggi. «But that does not exclude her shortcomings: she is presumptuous, sensitive, stubborn, naive and cunning when necessary … And she does not conform to the example of the shepherdess who saw the Madonna and the young devotee who is constantly in prayer . No, she asks if she can play jumping rope in the convent, keeps the bottle of wine in the cupboard, tastes the tobacco from her snuffbox. Father Alberto Maggi studied the history of Bernadette, who passed from childhood to family (her father ended up stealing in prison), from 18 apparitions, to the secret and affectionate letters she sent to Abbé Charles Bouin, to the abuses in the convent. And he collected his studies in the book “Bernadette The True Story of an Imperfect Saint” (out for Garzanti these days). Father Albero Maggi reveals: «Religious life did not suit Bernadette, who was a free spirit. She discovered her femininity, she put a splint in her chest to emphasize her breasts, the crinoline forbidden by priests ».
April 13, 2022 (Change April 13, 2022 | 15:58)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED