Tourists in Rome this summer are complaining because they can’t wear shorts and tank tops into St. Peter’s Basilica despite the heat. Oh, boo hoo. Look, the basilica isn’t a museum, it’s a place of worship and a certain decorum is expected.
I remember during World Youth Day 2000 when temps were in the 90s and the line to walk through the Jubilee Door was over a mile long, the Vatican relaxed the rules for the first time ever. Even then, although shorts were allowed, they had to be knee-length and bare shoulders were still banned. (Actually knee-length shorts are allowed for women all the time, I believe, as well as dresses of at least the same length.)
During a previous visit I saw a college-age boy and girl—obviously a couple and attached at the hip—wandering through St. Peter’s stop near the Eucharistic chapel and begin making out. A member of the papal household quickly scolded them and ushered them right out the door.
Hey, it’s inconvenient. When I was there in the summer, I brought a pair of hiking pants that converted from shorts to pants via zip-on legs. I knew several young ladies who brought light, silk-type shawls to throw over their shoulders. It’s the least you can do when entering the house of the Lord. How much do you want to bet that a lot of those people aren’t even Catholic? I just want to tell them to have some courtesy when entering someone else’s home.
