Italian Priest Starts Preaching In Bars



A Sardinian priest has found a novel way to spread the gospel amid waning interest in the church – by doing it over a beer.

Father Antonio Maria Cossu, known as Don Totoni, has been parish priest in the small town of Bitti for the past seven years.

Though attendance at his church remains healthy, the 67-year-old admits many of the faithful are “absent” and only come for special religious festivals, weddings or funerals.

Rather than badger them into attending, Mr Cossu started holding evening sermons in nearby bars – promoting them with leaflets entitled “Evangelical Half Pint, Talking Jesus”.

“My vision of religion has never been one of operating behind the closed doors of a sacristy or to wait for people to start coming to Mass,” he told The Telegraph.

“I have always wanted to be in the middle of people, not separated. You have to be in church but you also have to get out where people live.”


Since starting his 7.30pm sermons two years ago 10 bars in Bitti have signed up to the initiative.

“People have welcomed this proposal, they listen to me with sympathy and respect for 40 minutes or so and at the end we have one or two beers together,” he said. “The Gospel plants the seed and God does the rest.

“I thank the baristas of Bitti and all the people who welcome me, for their hospitality and the opportunity they give me to bring them the word of Jesus,” said Mr Cossu. “I am optimistic that our town will retain its faith.”

Mr Cossu, who was born in Sardinia, has been a priest for 44 years. Before arriving in Bitti he worked in other parts of Italy and also served as a missionary in Argentina

According to a Pew Research Centre survey in 2023, 78 per cent of Italians say they are Roman Catholic. But the statistics agency, Istat, says only 19 per cent attend services at least weekly while 31 per cent never attend.


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/j/jk-jo/josephine-mckenna/