Posted on 07/28/2010 5:37:59 AM PDT by markomalley
(ANSA) - Vatican City, July 27 - Tourists and Romans clad in scanty summer clothing were being told to cover up before entering the Vatican City on Tuesday. Long-standing rules on modest dress, previously applicable only to those visiting St Peter's Basilica, appear to have been extended throughout the tiny walled state. Swiss Guard officers manning the official customs point between Rome and the Vatican City began pulling aside members of the public dressed in 'inappropriate' clothing early in the morning. Men in shorts and women with exposed knees or uncovered shoulders were all stopped by the officers, who asked them if they knew "how things worked here". Bewildered locals, accustomed to treating the Vatican much like any other part of Rome, initially assumed a new bureaucratic procedure was in force. Prescriptions, letters and shopping permits were hastily produced as evidence of plans to use the Vatican's pharmacy, post office and shop.
Only to be told the real reason was their clothing. "This is the Vatican City and for reasons of respect, you are not allowed in with uncovered shoulders or wearing shorts," was the standard explanation. Some retreated without protest, while a number of the women made impromptu purchases from one of the many stands selling shawls and scarves near the Vatican gates. A cheap, quick solution to cover the bare legs of men in shorts was harder to come by, although some duly trudged off to the nearby shopping district of Cola di Rienzo to buy a pair of trousers. However, a number of visitors, especially the more elderly, refused to budge.
The Vatican pharmacy tends to draw older Romans from across the city, as it is slightly cheaper and offers a different range of medication than its Italian counterparts.
Maria, in her late 70s, was one visitor to the Vatican who refused to be cowed by the Swiss Guards. After travelling from the Centocelle neighbourhood on the other side of Rome in 30-degree heat, she was advised that her calf-length flowered dress was "inappropriate" because it showed her shoulders. "I've come all the way here from Centocelle and you want to send me back?" she complained.
The Swiss Guards eventually relented and allowed her through, quietly advising her to dress more appropriately next time. But Maria was unimpressed. "Given all the scandals the Church has been involved in, what possible right can it have to be preaching about the morality of sleeveless dresses?" she declared loudly, marching past indignantly.
Modest clothing for visitors to St Peter's has been the rule for decades. While most tourists are aware of this beforehand and dress appropriately, the sheer number of pilgrims visiting the basilica in the Jubilee year of 2000 prompted street vendors to expand their long running trade in cheap shawls to include long, lightweight cloaks as well. These later vanished from stalls once demand dropped but are likely to reappear for some months to come, at least until word of the new rules gets around.
It’s too bad this is a caucus, because that headline deserves a Verbal Mayhem ping.
Well at least the Vatican doesn’t stone or hang any of the offenders in public....
They already have little stands around there that sell paper trousers. They’re similar to the disposable garments that surgeons and operating room personnel sometimes wear.
I didn’t even know that Vatican City had any bars!
Are you sure you'd want the "usual suspects" chiming in?
I’ve read that it has coffee bars.
I don’t think God is judging anyone on their apparel when attending Church services although I understand the Vatican having a policy.
No, I wouldn’t ... but some of my language people would get a kick out of it.
I can’t feel sorry for people trying to get cheap meds, I have to say. They’re the ones who put in the government of Italy, let them deal with what it provides.
Its kinda like a immorality wild card. It can be used to weaken the church's influence whenever you need to play it.
Here's the issue: I know that it is a tremendous distraction for me to be at Mass and then have a scantily clad female pass right in front of my pew. It provides me, shall we say, a tremendous opportunity to practice keeping custody of the eyes. While God may not care one way or the other, I certainly consider modest dress in church to be a significant act of charity for that reason.
Considering how some people feel compelled to dress during the summer, I can definitely appreciate that a certain standard of decorum for the same basic reason. While we could discuss the line that was drawn, the fact of having a line is a good thing IMHO.
Good
Not to mention the aesthetic effect of women in their 70s letting it all hang out. That may not be a temptation to lust for men, but it’s a temptation to judgmentalism for women! I hate to be thinking, “Honey, don’t you have a mirror?!?” about my fellow parishioners.
Good for the Vatican. Modesty needs a return and respect for women....don’t get that the way some dress...
This is a good thing.
Swiss Guards eventually relented and allowed her through, quietly advising her to dress more appropriately next time. But Maria was unimpressed. "Given all the scandals the Church has been involved in, what possible right can it have to be preaching about the morality of sleeveless dresses?" she declared loudly, marching past indignantly. [not "Maria" pictured.:)]LOL! I got this in an email last night!
**Vatican bans scantily clad tourists
* By staff writers
* From: NewsCore
* July 28, 2010 5:41AM
TOURISTS in skimpy summer clothing were being told to cover up before entering Vatican City today.
The ban had previously applied only to St Peter’s Basilica but guards manning the official entry point into the tiny, walled state begun pulling visitors aside overnight for sporting “inappropriate” attire, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The new decree, particularly targeting those in shorts and
shoulder-revealing shirts, sent several tourists trudging off to local stores to buy shawls, scarves and pairs of trousers.
Immodest clothing has been specifically barred from St Peter’s for decades and Vatican officials are seemingly sick of visitors flouting the dress-code.
However, locals just nipping inside the Vatican City walls to use its pharmacy, post office and store were articularity bewildered by the clothing crackdown.
Most are accustomed to treating the Vatican like any other part of Rome, ANSA said.**
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