Photo of the hand of a statue and a statue of an angel inside a Naples church
Statues in a Naples church Carmen Laezza

As soon as I arrive at work, I get a call from a patient who says he urgently needs to talk to me:

“Ciro, what’s the matter? What happened?”

“Nothing, don’t worry! There’s just something I need to confess!”

“And why should I be the one you confess to? Who do you think I am, a priest?”

“Dottoré, what am I supposed to do? The churches are closed! If I die now, does this mean I have to carry my sins on my conscience forever? So I was thinking: If I come to you, you’d listen — and as penance, you can give me a little bit more therapy!”

“Ciro, what can I tell you. If you want to come, I am here.”

“Thank you, Dottoré, you are a saint! But there’s something else I wanted to ask: You know that I don’t pay for our sessions because I am unemployed … Well, while we’re at it, if I pay the regular fee, would you also be able to give me absolution?”

Learn more about Worldcrunch’s exclusive Dottoré! series here.

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