The saint for International Women's Day

For misogynists, those who want to become one, or for whom state-imposed worship of women gets on their nerves as much as forced laughter at carnival, there are various options for celebrating something completely different on March 8th.

For example, Be Naughty Day (variant of World Middle Finger Pointing Day on August 1). Or Peanut Cluster Day (peanuts covered in caramel or chocolate). Or Proofreading Day.

Or the day of Saint John of God. He really deserves it. Because he has a pretty tough job up in heaven. One could almost speak of an accumulation of offices. And the women would even benefit from it, at least assuming that there are such things as women's jobs.

Juan Ciudad Duarte was probably the name of the saint (born March 8, 1495 in a Portuguese nest and died in Granada on March 8, 1550) before he became a saint, especially before he ran away. He was there eight.

His parents, possibly Jewish refugees from Spain in Portugal, died of grief (the mother) and went to the monastery (the father). The boy who left for Spain and, like many foundlings, was given the surname de Deus, became a shepherd and learned to read. Worked in various jobs: builder, soldier in the service of Charles V against the Turks, publisher, bookseller in Gibraltar.

Then he heard the penitential preacher John of Avila. And went almost insane. Burned his books, walked around town naked. Johannes visited Johannes in the psychiatric hospital, which was hell in the 16th century. And he changed his life.

Johannes von Gott became a social worker (he took care of the unemployed and prostitutes), founder of a religious order and the forefather of a new level of care for the mentally ill, he no longer had them tortured and chained up so that the devil of insanity could flee from them, took their fate seriously, treated her instead of exorcising her.

He was canonized in 1690. And today is the patron saint of hospitals, the sick and nurses, booksellers and book printers. And the city of Granada. Let's support him, he has a lot to do.