ALBERTO RAVAGNANI READ THROUGH «BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND» DI BOB DYLAN

If we want the Church to have priests who are happy and serene in carrying out such a demanding and all-encompassing ministry, they must not be left floating in the wind, but that you respond with sincerity.

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The well-known story of Alberto Ravagnani which crossed social media a few days ago, for his decision to leave the priesthood, he collected as is customary nowadays, comments and reflections of different nature and equally alternating positions: he did well, it hurt, it was time, let us pray for him.

Every choice remains profoundly human even when it has to do with realities that involve the spiritual sphere, faith, the church, It gave. Whereby, without prejudice to good conscience, must be respected, including that of Ravagnani who decides to put aside his being a Catholic priest. I asked myself, But, if there were deeper reasons behind this very striking gesture, due to Don Alberto's media exposure. Naturally, not knowing the person directly, indeed having frequented it almost nothing social, if not very rarely and out of curiosity towards the phenomenon of priests influence, I base myself on his latest releases, in which he explained some reasons for his gesture and in the book now published with the emblematic title: The choice (Who).

In a video interview (Who) Don Alberto confronts Giacomo Poretti, the well-known actor of the comic trio Aldo, John and James, which has a following podcast is that, against the other, he makes no secret of his faith. Giovanni delicately asks Alberto some questions about why he became a priest and why he has now decided to leave. Ravagnani's answers highlight how they used to be, before the conversion, occurred following a confession, he was introverted, very closed in on himself and how he then felt the desire to communicate his newfound happiness to everyone. The phrasebook is simple, it doesn't dig deep, according to a style in use among the influence, including priests, who have this need to be easily understood by everyone. So was the decision to leave, always explained with words that are far too simplistic for such a tiring choice, appears linked to his current desire for freedom which has led him to now perceive the priest's dress as tight for what he feels like doing, that is, equally bringing Jesus to young people, to the worlds that do not know him or mock him, but without the restrictions and rules imposed on those who hold the role of presbyter, who must obey the Bishop for example.

According to his words, the word "don" preceded by the first name, it would be an obstacle, because it would lead people to see the role first of all or to remember the negative examples of some priests. He confesses that he will always feel like "Don Alberto" and that probably having been a "Don" will still identify him that way in the eyes of those he meets, even if Giacomo Poretti cordially reminds him that it will always be for him: Alberto. But then Ravagnani also makes other confessions, that a 21 year old, in the seminar, when he began to dress like a priest, with the collar for example, he was happy about it, only to then realize that he had put other experiences aside, like emotional ones or a degree, to see and perceive himself only as a presbyter and as such dressed. It turns out, so, missing something and what previously identified it is no longer useful, indeed it appears to be an obstacle. The fact that a priest, now ex, can end the interview by talking about his perception of the priest as a man who must appear almost perfect in the eyes of people and therefore he, discovering instead the value of freedom with respect to this vision, now he can breathe a sigh of relief, makes you think.

In a later video (Who), done to promote his recent book, Ravagnani offers some other reasons that go deeper. He states sequentially:

«I was a good child, a good boy, a brave seminarian, a good priest, a brave father, a bravo influence, but the need to be so impeccable ended up overwhelming me. And maybe that was a good thing, because between being perfect and being true the second is much better".

Any therapist, to hear these words, would raise the antennas and ask the interested party questions that would no longer concern the choice itself to abandon the priesthood, behind which always hide judgments both of the interested party towards himself and of the users reached by such news. They would rather have to do with deeper reasons that infer the psychic reality of the person making such assertions and their personality, how it has developed over time and therefore why one should feel that they are good and perfect: compared to whom, to demonstrate what, which internal gratification or psychological position does it consolidate?

Opening his book we note that the sentence he uttered in the video is in fact the summary of the chapters that make up the writing. In the text he examines the epochal passages of his life up to this point and confesses among many other things that he has in fact turned to a therapist who is helping him to unravel the internal tangle. You can read it where one of the conversations with the specialist is reported: «I take a deep breath. But I know I have to do something. I have to have the courage to choose. For the good of the Fraternity (n.d.r: a community animated by him). And of the Church". «And also for his», he adds, piano. "Yup", I say after a moment, "for mine too". He remains silent for a while." (pag. 237).

Scrolling through the pages of the biography an aspect stands out that in itself would have nothing original, if it weren't for the character's notoriety. That is, the story of a young man who he carried with him throughout his adolescence, of the seminary and of the priestly ministry the psychological position of the child he implements, in a context of misunderstanding, especially family, a defense mechanism that leads him on the one hand to protect himself from the world that does not understand or welcome him as he is; on the other to consider himself better and capable of straightening out that world with his commitment and effort; shielding himself by becoming good, being perfect, show how good you are in order to be recognized.

Let's read his words arose following an outburst of violence by the father:

«I don't remember getting hurt, but I remember that I would have liked to do it to my father: obviously I had to cancel this immoral impulse. And then another ten thousand experience points for the good boy, who learns to suppress desires for revenge or anger, because he perceives those feelings as "wrong" and incompatible with being loved. That is how, year after year, the good child in me grows up to completely take over the scene of my life. Little Alberto becomes good and well-liked by everyone. At home I am obedient and never give my parents any trouble. At school I am polite and diligent, the model student praised by the teachers and always available to help my classmates. In my grandparents' town everyone tells me I'm an angel, because I'm kind, patient and imperturbable, basically an adult in a child's body. Or maybe, a child who is unable to live fully as such" (pag. 17).

The itinerary already seems well traced and where it can best be explored if not in the Church? An all-encompassing and enveloping entity, capable of enhancing the psychological mechanisms of goodness and perfection. A reality, The Other Brother, always needs improvement so why not enter right there where I can make my talent count, step by step, in a titanic effort that will then backfire on me, precisely because no one had helped me see that child who just wanted to be welcomed, understood and valued; that he could have different experiences, including mistakes, that bring a boy to maturity, until he becomes a man capable of making choices. Instead of banning yourself, to nourish a psychic position, the natural experiences of youthful life, like studying, sport, traveling and last but not least affection and sex. It comes naturally to me to say: there was no way it wouldn't end the way it did, with the abandonment of the priesthood. Because life presses with its demands, the body also screams and I am not here to underline that the only spaces of freedom that Ravagnani obtained for himself were those of autoeroticism, confessed by him in the book. So I think, that he was right in the end to make the choice he made, if this leads him to the truth of himself and to action, even in his thirties, the normal experiences that lead a young person to psychological maturity, morale, existential. Especially if you have never done them or if you have prevented them yourself due to an idea of ​​unhealthy perfection. This is my wish for him, that he gets out of his script and lives a real life.

However, a painful question remains. How come the Church, that is, the people responsible for the training of that seminarian, later presbyter, they didn't notice all this at all? It's one thing for someone to become a good animator within an oratory, no matter how varied and engaging the Milanese ones may be, but it's another thing for a boy who is almost twenty years old to be welcomed into the seminary and brought to the priesthood without anyone ever helping him to look inside himself., so that he could become a real priest; not a good priest. And we're talking about years, not for a few days.

Ravagnani's analysis of life in the seminary, apart from the fact that he liked it and exalted it, but we also know why at this point, she is merciless. Let's also do the tare and let's also say that it comes from someone who is leaving and therefore it will inevitably be easy for him to now find out all the flaws of the case on how one gets to the priesthood and on how one lives or on the negative examples that abound. But that the Rector of a seminary - and we are talking about one of the most important dioceses in the Church -, be sure to ask a young man who enters: «Have you ever had sexual intercourse?»; while the true motivations of a boy who comes to write are never examined: «I've never tried with a girl, but with God yes. And I did it with him. I didn't ask him out, I asked him to enter the seminary" (pag. 35). Yet he speaks of multiple conversations he had with those responsible, with the spiritual father. Because this idea of ​​self, this image of faith and God, cloaked in a Promethean search for perfection, it was never noticed? And conversely one has to ask: what kind of training is given in the seminars, what is it ultimately aimed at?

Priests leave who in one direction, some for another, there have been many and there will be many more. The church, as Francesco Guccini sang about his city of choice, Bologna, And: «An old matron, with slightly soft hips"; capable of absorbing everything and moving forward. But if these issues are not addressed, where you go? Today fewer and fewer children and young people are knocking on the doors of seminaries, but that's not the point in the end, as the story of Don Alberto reveals. Because even in those realities that are seen as the panacea for all ills, because there a few more young people arrive and ask for the dress, the strict rules and that tradition is maintained, people's intimate problems remain. Ravagnani also coveted the collar, he dressed in black, even in my underwear (his words, pag. 61), he felt like a priest to the core. Maybe something needs to be revised? Some fault admitted? Perhaps that good psychologist who pointed out to Ravagnani that good must be sought for oneself as well as for others, could have access to the seminars? Or you are afraid to find out the truth? That the king is often naked, even if he perceives himself to be true and right because he thinks he is dressed appropriately and respects the rules of the role to the full.

The questions pile up. But if we want the Church to have priests who are happy and serene in carrying out such a demanding and all-encompassing ministry, they must not be left floating in the wind, but that you respond with sincerity.

From the Hermitage, 11 February 2026

 

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