Caetani was also a scholar of Dante Alighieri. The last of the three transformed Caetani’ s drawings into actual antique-style jewelries which today are partly preserved in the National Etruscan Museum in Rome. However, his interest in arts led quickly him to study in the studios of sculptors Bertel Thorvaldsen and Pietro Tenerani, the painter Tommasso Minardi and the goldsmith Fortunato Pio Castellani. According to the practice of his time, he was educated at home by private tutors. He was a descendant from the Italian noble Caetani family, which played a great role in the history of Pisa and Rome. I invite you to revisit “ Michelangelo and the Hand of God: Scandal at the Vatican” for an injection of hope that, like Dante’s Dark Wood will all come to good if surrendered to sanctifying grace.Michelangelo Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta and Prince of Teano (Rome, 20 March 1804 – Rome, 12 December 1882), was a notable political figure, goldsmith, and an Italian scholar with a great interest in literature and sculpture. Having lived in the shadow of accusation and scandal for so many years, I can only agree with Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321): “I never saw so drear, so rank, so arduous a wilderness!”īut the Church isn’t seeing any of this wilderness of scandal for the first time. The story of Michelangelo is a story of the triumph of grace over sin."Midway in our life's journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood.How shall I say what wood that was? I never saw so drear, so rank, so arduous a wilderness! Its very memory gives a shape to fear.Death could scarce be more bitter than that place! But since it came to good, I will recount all that I found revealed there by God's grace.How I came to it, I cannot rightly say, so drugged and loose with sleep had I become when I first wandered there from the True Way." (Canto I: "The Dark Wood of Error," Dante's Inferno)Dante’s description of “The Dark Wood of Error” captures well the Catholic scandals that are fodder for the media today. Scandals in the Catholic Church create almost daily headlines in the news, but they aren’t new at all.
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