A church offering free hamburgers to teenagers had 400 young people show up for mass despite a protest by the faithful outside that required a police presence to maintain order.
The parish in Trissino and Castelgomberto, in the diocese of Vicenza, in north-eastern Italy’s Veneto region, had launched the initiative on Facebook to boost attendance amidst waning numbers.
After making the announcement, the parish said in a post on 29th January: “Due to the large participation at the Youth Dinner and due to organisational reasons, registration will close today, Wednesday, 29th January.”
Indeed, 400 young people showed up at the San Pietro Apostolo church for their free hamburger on Friday, 31st January.
The police, carabinieri and other law and order officers were dispatched to the scene to ensure their safety after devout Catholics staged a protest outside the church calling its fast food event “blasphemy”.
Journalists and the younger attendees’ parents were barred entry by the authorities for “security reasons”.
The authorities said that the measure was necessary so that the young people “could participate in this experience in complete serenity and freedom.”
About 20 conservative protesters staged their demo outside the church where the young attendees, many of them minors, received a free hamburger each and a serving of 70 grammes (2.4 oz) of chips in exchange for their attendance.
The parish priest, Don Domenico Pegoraro, defended the event, saying that “the children are like seeds to be cultivated”, while more conservative voices protesting outside said that it was necessary to “repair this sacrilege”.
Priest Offers Free Burgers To Get Teens Into Church
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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