Last month, McDonald’s created quite a stir after the food chain opened a location in a building owned by the Vatican. As protests from locals and top clerics in Rome are ongoing, it appears that the brand is trying to get into its Catholic neighborhood’s good graces by offering meals to homeless people in Vatican City.
The Associated Foreign Press (via Independent) reports that the fast food giant will start feeding the homeless on Monday, Jan. 16 and will continue every Monday at lunch time. Apart from its famous cheeseburgers, McDonald’s will also give out apples and bottled water to the needy.To help out the fast food chain’s crew, volunteers from the charity Medicina Solidale will help to hand out the meals.
The McDonald’s Vatican branch, which is situated near where the Pope lives, opened its doors on Dec. 30, 2016. According to the New York Times, the plan to open a restaurant in a Vatican-owned building was met with indignation by senior Roman Catholic leaders and by citizens hoping to preserve the Vatican’s culture and heritage.
Back in October, Cardinal Elio Sgreccia told La Repubblica that McDonald’s arrival in the holy city was a “disgrace” and that the space should have been used to help out the homeless.
Apart from his concern that the food chain’s aesthetics would clash with the Vatican’s architecture, the cardinal also said that the food may not be good for the health of consumers.
“It’s a business decision that ignores the culinary tradition of Roman cuisine,” he added.
It was reported that the Vatican would get about $31,375 per month in rent from the fast food giant.
Meanwhile, the opening of McDonald’s, dubbed as McVatican by locals, have gotten mixed reactions from the locals, as previously reported by Jobs & Hire. The Catholic News Agency reports that some Romans expressed their approval of the restaurant, saying that they finally have a place to eat inexpensive fare. Others echoed Cardinal Sgreccia’s sentiments, fearing that the restaurant could change the area’s cultural identity.
