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Read or listen to Jean Claude Vendassi’s full oral history. Original interview in French. An English translation is also available.

Anyway, my parents-in-law lent us some money, which we paid back, and we went through, we went through other trials and tribulations, and I was a bishop at the time. And I told myself that I couldn’t do everything. I couldn’t do judo. I knew I’d done well to quit judo because I’d been called bishop and I couldn’t, I couldn’t have done everything. It would have ended in a clash, and I certainly didn’t want to sacrifice my home, my couple first and then my home. And so Lilia arrived. Our first daughter arrived. And that was a big change in my life. The arrival of our first daughter.

It was a very special experience for me, because when she arrived, I was overjoyed, overjoyed! And when she arrived, I was also so jealous! She was taking my place, and where is my place? It’s crazy, isn’t it… but she got sick. And that’s when I got scared. I got scared. I was scared to death of losing her. I said no, no. No, no, no, no. I’d rather come last, it’s not a problem. But no, no, no. No, no, she can’t go, it’s impossible. And from then on, it was over, there was never anymore such feelings toward her or any of our children. The opposite. I mean, all I ever wanted was to give them the best. So that they can grow up well, so that they can meet the measure of their creation.