A McDonald’s restaurant opened without fanfare on Dec. 30 just a stone’s throw away from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on the Borgo Pio.
The restaurant has an understated façade but has drawn criticism from some of the cardinals who live in the building above the new eating establishment, Reuters reported. Cardinal Elio Sgreccia called the McDonald’s “unhealthy” and a “disgrace” in an earlier interview.
Now that the restaurant has opened, Sgreccia said it is a “perversion” and “aberrant,” Fox News reported. The cardinal has also said that the money spent on the fast food chain could be spent on “the area’s needy ... and suffering, as the Holy Father teaches.”
On Tuesday, though, two nuns were spotted going into the establishment for lunch, according to Reuters.
A woman who works nearby, Raffaella Scarano, told Reuters, “Anything that is good for the economy of our country is fine by me.”
The Vatican is leasing the space to the retail chain, receiving just over $31,000 a month in rent for the ground level of the building, according to CBS News.
Local business owners worry that the popularity and familiarity of the fast food offered will hurt their businesses that offer more traditional Italian fare.
Hard Rock Cafe also opened recently around the corner on another piece of Vatican-owned property, replacing a religious bookstore, CBS said.
There are several other McDonald’s locations and a Burger King within a short distance from the area. Starbucks also has plans to open in locations around Italy, though not necessarily near the Vatican, CBS reported.
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