According to a survey published yesterday [April 4], a third of Italians believe we all have guardian angels standing at our shoulders ready to intervene, while another third believe in angels "in general".
The survey, conducted by anthropologists at Perugia University over the past year, suggests that belief in angels is stronger than ever, partly because of the rise of New Age philosophies.
Cecilia Gatto Trocchi, a cultural anthroplogist who teaches at Chieti and Perugia universities, said that "men tend to believe that their guardian angel is female, while women think their unseen protector is male". Some thought of their angel as "an extraterrestrial New Age spirit" rather than "the conventional biblical winged being".
Although the seven archangels - led by Michael, Raphael and Gabriel - are male, most angels are depicted as beings of inderminate sex.
In the Middle Ages schoolmen constructed a supposed hierarchy of angels from seraphim and cherubim up to archangels, the concept is played down by some modern theologians. One guide to Catholic doctrine now suggests that angels are simply "good spirits sent to convey God's directives to humanity and to protect them".
However, Signora Gatto Trocchi, who supervised the survey in Rome, Milan, Perugia and Palermo, said that the concept of "divine messengers and agents" predated Christianity, and was also found in ancient Eastern religions.
The survey showed that 32 per cent of Italians believe in the existence of "personal spiritual protectors" who "accompany people down the path of life".
Angels Still on Guard in Italy
Next time you step back from the pavement just in time to avoid a passing bus, or duck out of the way of a pot plant falling from a balcony, it may not just be a question of luck.
The Times - London | By Richard Owen - April 5 2000
