The last time José Apeles, the television Father Apeles, was seen was at the beginning of last summer. The priest, who was one of the most media characters of the 90s thanks to programs such as Moors and Christians or Martian Chronicles; He confessed to being in the "twilight" of his existence, due to serious health problems.
For years, the Barcelona native has lived outside of Spain. Specifically, in Rome, the city where he always wanted to live and where he enjoys a quiet life, far from the fame that one day made him one of the most controversial characters on television in Spain and, as he himself confesses, "so much separatist and perroflauta" as there is in Barcelona.
This is revealed in an interview with Semana magazine, in which he opened up about what his life is like in the Eternal City, to which he moved when his father and uncle died. "In Barcelona I didn't do anything, I didn't have a social life," confesses Apeles, who also admits that "I was fed up with so many separatists and dog flutes and I went to a city where there is still an important cultural and social life."
Once in Rome, he knew it would be where he would spend his "last days" because it is a "dream city." The Barcelonan insists that he now has the opportunity "to meet interesting people who either live in Rome or pass through here" on a daily basis.
Even so, the controversial television priest admits that the Eternal City also has its drawbacks. Above all, in matters of cleanliness in cities, excess of vehicles and pollution.
Now, just for its artistic and cultural wealth, he wouldn't change it for anything. There he reads, prays, writes and has his long-awaited social life, which "entertains" him while he waits for his "next ending." Of course, he has not left Spain forever either, since he travels whenever he can; especially to attend different cultural events, such as the Seville Fair.
He has also been seduced by Italian gastronomy, although not too much, as he assures that he must be "moderate" to maintain good health and take care of his health. The priest confessed a few months ago that he is very delicate, causing him to tire quickly with even the slightest activity.
"My health is very delicate and I am thinking more about the other world than about this one. I intensely experienced many things that most people will not experience in their entire lives, so I do not regret it and I thank God," he reveals.
One of the things that I would surely not change would be the fame of yesteryear for the tranquility of now. For the television show, saying "yes" to Xavier Sardá when he was only a twenty-something was a mistake that changed his life forever. "My problems began," he admits. "I was definitively closed off from the possibility of an ecclesiastical career for which I was prepared."
Even so, he considers that he did "valuable" work despite the failures. "I made mistakes, and for them I have paid the rest of my life."
After years on television, he decided to retire. A decision that did not go well, although he managed to cope with it thanks to his study. "When I was already in poor health, I withdrew from the world, accepting resignedly and with faith my situation in these last days," he confesses, although revealing that he misses being in front of the camera. "It's something you can never heal from."
