The article from the Wall Street Journal seemed sensationalistic enough. “Tales From the Crypt: To Attract New Blood, Church Joins Club Scene”
Oh brother, I thought. Now what? Did the Catholic church open a nightclub in some major city with some stupid “Twilight” theme?
Nope. Nothing so tame.
“The crypt of the Basilica di San Carlo al Corso near St. Peter’s Square has boasted tombs of cardinals for centuries… Rev. Maurizio Mirilli, head of youth ministry in Rome’s Catholic Church, has converted a section of the crypt into a nightclub with a live-music stage and a bar stocked with beer, Prosecco and other wine. Father Mirilli has christened the new watering hole GP2, short for “Giovanni Paolo II,” as the late Polish pope was known in Italian.”
OK. So blasting music among the crypts of hundreds of years of entombed cardinals while getting plastered isn’t somewhat…. I don’t know… inappropriate? Bad ju-ju? Creepy?
Oh, and speaking of bad ju-ju….
“Scrawled across the bar was a biblical passage from the Gospel of St. John, quoting Jesus Christ: “Give me a drink.”
Um… the article itself points out that Jesus Christ was referring to water. He didn’t push through some saloon doors, mosey up to the bar and ask for a brewsky.
Beer, disaronno, whiskey sours, dirty martinis, jack and coke… the only thing that ever goes with these things is maybe a small snack. That’s it. Sacred crypts with centuries of dead cardinals laying around do nothing to enhance my drinking experience whatsoever, thank you very much.
The article is in the “free” section of the Wall Street Journal’s website.
