Back to Real Life

Greg and I spent the last week in Venice and we had an amazing time (multiple gelatos a day will generally do that for you.)  So in honor of our trip to Italy I figured it was only fitting to devote my return post to an heroic Italian--a Roman Catholic priest, actually, named Don Cesare Lo Deserto.

This is another story gleaned from the pages of The Natashas, and one of the few that offers a slightly uplifting look at the world of forced prostitution.  Don Cesare is a rare light in a very dark story; his mission in life is to rescue women and girls who have been forced into prostitution in Italian cities and bring them to his safe home fortress on the coast of southern Italy, Regina Pacis.  Don Cesare estimates he has seen more than 1,000 women come through his doors, namely saved from the Albanian flesh trade that uses motorized rubber dinghies to smuggle their human cargo across the narrow strait to Italy.  The women see Don Cesare as a kind of earthly savior, and are allowed to stay at Regina Pacis for as long as they wish.  

Victor Malarek writes,

"On a starlit evening, as the smugglers in Vlore are readying their speedboats on the Albanian side of the Adriatic, Don Cesare flings open the gates of Regina Pacis and leads a small procession of women across the narrow road to the edge of the rocky beach.  They stand, silently facing the sea they had crossed.  The priest raises his arms, blesses the rolling waves, and begins to pray.  The women stare out onto the water, their lips moving in prayer for the victims who have yet to be rescued."

When I was away for the past week, I thought about how easy it is to get burned out and become discouraged when constantly thinking about difficult issues like child trafficking and forced prostitution.  Sometimes it's important to step away for a moment and take a mental break.  But we always have to keep coming back; the girls who are waiting for us don't get that luxury.  So I take a deep breath; listen to songs whose lyrics whisper hope; and read about people like Don Cesare, who never give up.

I hope this post and these songs give you a lift, too.  Welcome back--so glad we can encourage each other toward something better, together.