Religion: For Charity
His old parishioners in Tuscany remembered Don Attilio Bellachioma as a compassionate man who spent most of his time, and all his money, distributing charity to the poor. Even after he retired, half-blind after 37 years of parish work, to a home for aged priests in Perugia, he scraped together regular contributions for his favorite orphanages.
Don Attilio had only one vice—he loved to gamble. Each week, almost as regularly as his charitable contributions, he would spend a few lire on a lottery ticket. "I never hope to win," he once admitted, "because I don't believe that our Lord could use the lottery as a means of helping people needing help."
Last week lottery officials awarded the 4O-million-lire (some $63,000) first prize in the Merano Sweepstakes. The winner: Father Attilio Bellachioma. Said Don Attilio: "It will all be used for charity."
Most Popular »
- Are the Bible's Stories True? Archaeology's Evidence
- Who Were the First Americans?
- Spain's Troubled Economy: Why Europe Is Worried
- Counterterrorism: The Debate Moves Right
- In Tokyo, Embattled Toyota Chief Faces a Nation
- Toyota's Safety Problems: A Checkered History
- Another Snowstorm: What Happened to Global Warming?
- Asian Carp in the Great Lakes? This Means War!
- What Is Robert Gates Really Fighting For?
- Are the Bible's Stories True? Archaeology's Evidence
- Spain's Troubled Economy: Why Europe Is Worried
- Who Were the First Americans?
- Toyota's Safety Problems: A Checkered History
- Another Snowstorm: What Happened to Global Warming?
- U.S.-China Friction: Why Neither Side Can Afford a Split
- What Is Robert Gates Really Fighting For?
- Obesity in Kids: Three Lifestyle Changes that Help
- Asian Carp in the Great Lakes? This Means War!
- In Marriage, Worse First Can Mean Better Later
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
RSS