Don Franco Mastrolonardo, rector of the Gesu Reddentore Church in Riccione, Italy, has installed a vending machine that sells prayer books, icons, incense bowls and other consecrated objects. During the high season, there are many tourists in the church on Viale Dante boulevard who, with pleasure, or at least out of interest, use the services of a 'church machine' - however, the initiative of the abbot generated a lot of contradictory responses from the clergy. A vending machine that sells medallions and Christian brochures instead of chips and drinks around the clock is something new in church practice. Be that as it may, among the regular parishioners of the Gesu Reddentore temple, the idea aroused approval rather than embarrassment. The local press also took an interest in the innovation. The abbot of the temple, in his interview with Corriere di Romagna, named the reason why he decided to take an unusual step. It turned out to be utterly banal: for the arrival, a vending machine is a tool for dealing with constrained financial circumstances and a way to make ends meet. Riccione is a resort on the Adriatic coast of Italy, especially popular with young people and celebrities. Although tourist guides assure that it is pleasant to come here at any time of the year, the city lives a full life in the spring and summer season, and the rest of the year is not so crowded - which, of course, adversely affects the economic and financial life of local churches.
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