On July 16, the newspapers reported the following news: VATICAN CITY – With temperatures soaring, tempers are flaring as the Vatican's dress police turn back tourists in shorts and bare shoulders trying to get into St. Peter's Basilica. Vendors are doing a brisk business selling paper pants and shirts - turning St. Peter's Square into an open-air changing room.
Enforcement of the Vatican dress code turns into a battle each summer, but the verbal skirmishes were heightened this July because Rome was in the grips of a relentless heat wave. For weeks, temperatures had reached into the 90s, (Fahrenheit), and the thousands of tourists trudging the streets seemed dressed more for a day at the beach - shorts, miniskirts, tank tops for both men and women. At the Vatican, authorities have erected signs showing no one can enter the basilica with bare legs and bare shoulders. Guards – neatly dressed in shirts and ties – patrol the entrances. Showing true entrepreneurial spirit, vendors have popped up at various points around the vast square, keeping one step ahead of the police.
Alain Pilote has been the editor of the English edition of MICHAEL for several years. Twice a year we organize a week of study of the social doctrine of the Church and its application and Mr. Pilote is the instructor during these sessions.
Subscribe