The 'Most Handsome Man' in Italy Abandons Everything to Become a Priest

Edoardo Santini, dubbed the 'most handsome man in Italy,' has decided to leave behind a promising modelling career and join a seminary to become a priest.

This was reported by 7sur7.

Santini, who earned the title of Italy's most handsome man in 2019 at the age of 17, after winning a national beauty contest, seemed destined for stardom in the world of fashion. However, divine plans had other intentions.

In a video posted on social media, Santini explained that he plans to "become a priest if God allows." He shared that over the past few years, he met people who, by showing him what it means to be part of the Church, empowered him to explore a calling he had been curious about since childhood but hesitated to delve deeper into. In January 2020, he discovered the "true Church" and began speaking on social media about God and the calling he felt.

"To live in God does not mean shutting oneself in a church; rather, it means living more fully," he told his followers.

Edoardo acknowledged that people might "talk behind his back" about his decision to become a priest, but he won't allow them to deter him from his goal.

Santini stated that he will "put aside" his work as a model but won't give up all his hobbies. He said, "Of course, I won't abandon everything because they make me who I am. But I will live life in a different context."

He confessed that he had grown tired of satisfying others' desires and posting photos where he looked happy and secure.

Santini revealed that he took the "first step" last year and went to live with two priests. He called it the "most beautiful experience" of his life, allowing him to find the expected answer in everyday life, which came to him from above.

"At the end of the year, I asked the bishop for permission to enroll in a preparatory course—a year before further life in the seminary", he said.

Santini announced on his Instagram post that he has joined a seminary near Florence: "At 21, my father made the decision to marry my mother because she was pregnant, and my mother became a mother at 21. At 21, I embark on the path of becoming, if God allows, a priest. Over the past few years, I've met people who have shown me what it means to be the 'Church.' And here I am, studying theology and serving in two parishes of the Florence diocese." He shared that he took his first step slowly "due to the fear of being unaccepted." Now, having dared to say 'yes' in response to the Lord's call, he feels truly happy.

As reported by The Gaze, the 59-year-old Polish bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, whose diocese was rocked by a scandal involving a gay orgy in a priest's apartment, offered his resignation on September 29, and Pope Francis promptly accepted it.