OMEN
08-06-2008, 03:13 PM
Sunbathers can now get closer to God without having to bother getting dressed - thanks to an inflatable church on the beach.
The 'bouncy church' - which takes just five minutes to inflate - is 30 metres long and 15 metres wide, complete with an altar and confessional booth.
The inflatable will be set up in Molise, on the Adriatic coast, on 9 August and is to be manned by a team of priests waiting to hear confession, give mass and sing holy music, reports The Daily Telegraph.
"There will be four or five people singing, with music about God," said Chiara Facci from the Catholic group Sentinelli del Mattino (Sentinels of the Morning), which is putting up the church.
A night-time mass will take place between 10pm and 1am - in direct competition with local bars and nightclubs.
The move from lilos and beach towels to plastic pews has already been scuppered elsewhere: an attempt to set up the church in Sardinia last month was foiled by strong winds.
The Catholic church is trying to counteract the holiday effect of the Italian summer, when large cities empty and holidaymakers head for the beach.
Priests want to make sure the travelling faithful don't leave their sense of religious devotion at home too.
Nova
The 'bouncy church' - which takes just five minutes to inflate - is 30 metres long and 15 metres wide, complete with an altar and confessional booth.
The inflatable will be set up in Molise, on the Adriatic coast, on 9 August and is to be manned by a team of priests waiting to hear confession, give mass and sing holy music, reports The Daily Telegraph.
"There will be four or five people singing, with music about God," said Chiara Facci from the Catholic group Sentinelli del Mattino (Sentinels of the Morning), which is putting up the church.
A night-time mass will take place between 10pm and 1am - in direct competition with local bars and nightclubs.
The move from lilos and beach towels to plastic pews has already been scuppered elsewhere: an attempt to set up the church in Sardinia last month was foiled by strong winds.
The Catholic church is trying to counteract the holiday effect of the Italian summer, when large cities empty and holidaymakers head for the beach.
Priests want to make sure the travelling faithful don't leave their sense of religious devotion at home too.
Nova