ROME – An Italian inventor has combined faith and ingenuity to come up with a way to keep church traditions alive without fear of contracting swine flu – an electronic holy water dispenser.
The terracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser. A churchgoer waves his or her hand under a sensor, and the machine spurts out holy water. “It has been a bit of a novelty. People initially were a bit shocked by this technological innovation, but then they welcomed it with great enthusiasm and joy. The members of this parish have got used to it,” said Fr Pierangelo Motta.
Catholics entering and leaving churches usually dip their hands into fonts full of holy water and make the Sign of the Cross.
But fear of contracting the H1N1 virus has led many in Italy – where some 15 people have died of swine flu – not to dip hands in the communal water font.
“It’s great,” said worshipper Marta Caimm as she entered the church. “Thanks to this we are not worried about catching swine flu. It is the right thing for the times.”
Luciano Marabese, the dispenser’s inventor, said he did so out of concern that fear of swine flu was eroding traditions. He is now blessing himself all the way to the bank. “After all the news that some churches, like Milan’s cathedral, were suspending the use of holy water fonts as a measure against swine flu, demands for my invention shot to the stars. I have received orders from all over the world,” he said. – (Reuters)