Catholic priest offers free alcohol drinks, money to encourage mass attendance

A priest in central Italy has decided to use alcohol to get more converts in his church.

According to reports, Father Gianfranco Formenton of the church of Saint Martin in Trignano is offering free alcohol to adults and crisps to children just to get them to attend Mass.

According to the priest's Facebook post, this would start from July 2.


Father Formenton (Photo credit: The Sun)

In an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper, Father Formenton said the idea was “born as a game, thought up with the youth members of the parish and mainly targeted towards them.”

“Every Sunday, at the end of Mass, I put a stamp on the card, to certify [the owner’s] attendance.

“It’s just a game, but it helps to remind everybody that faith is a commitment and, as such, it does not go on holiday,” Formenton said.

The priest was not available for comment on Monday, but on Facebook, following national publicity for his unconventional pastoral methods, he wrote a message in the Veneto dialect, saying: “All this fuss for a prosecco and a couple of crisps?” (NAN)