VATICAN CORNER
On January 4, 2017, McDonalds’s restaurants opened a franchise just steps away from the gleaming white marble dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, angering Catholic Cardinals and local business owners. The new restaurant is in a popular tourist area just outside of the Vatican City walls, and about 100 yards from the Pope’s home. There are already two existing McDonald’s outposts close to the Vatican, in addition to a Burger King, but the new McDonald’s is the only restaurant located in a building owned by the Vatican. A group of cardinals live in the same building above the new 5,800 square foot ground floor restaurant. Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, one of the most vocal critics said that McDonald’s food was far removed from Roman gastronomic traditions and not the healthiest. He said “it would be better to use those spaces to help the needy of the area, spaces for hospitality, shelter and help for those who suffer, as the Holy Father teaches.” He called the restaurant a disgrace and some local business owners had written to Pope Francis to ask him to keep the chain out, for fear it would upset the artistic, culture and social identity of the neighborhood. McDonald’s reportedly far outbid other potential tenants for the property. McDonalds say that whenever they operate near historic sites anywhere in Italy, they adapt with respect to the historical environment. The restaurant seems to have a very subdued exterior. Even if senior clergy members would rather not dine on a Big Mac with fries, the chain will likely become an attractive lunch and dinner destination for the young men of the Swiss guard, whose barracks are nearby. Nuns have been spotted going inside for lunch and some of the people who frequent the area have welcomed the new arrival. As a way to win back public opinion and atone for the resentment caused, McDonald’s has begun working with a charitable organization called Medicina Solidale to give away 1,000 meals over the next six months on Mondays at lunchtime to the homeless. The meals consist of a double cheeseburger, an apple and water. The charity will work with the Pope’s chief alms-giver. It is unlikely that the angry cardinals will receive a sympathetic ear from Pope Francis, since he has repeatedly pressed clergy to live as simple and frugal as possible. In another venture, Vatican officials, looking to increase rents, have approved the addition of a Hard Rock Cafe on the main boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square.
Sources: independent.co.uk, theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk, foxnews.com, nytime.com.