Looking For A Corporate Venue? Book The Vatican Today!
It is no secret that Pope Francis is one of the most popular religious leaders currently as well as one of the most well liked Popes in recent history. He has been able to connect with people of diverse backgrounds and strives to connect the Catholic church with the modern world. His Holiness even has his own twitter account!
One of his latest decisions, however, has stirred up some controversy. On October 17th, the International Business Times reported that the Vatican would be renting out the Sistine Chapel to Porsche for a corporate event, the first time anything of this nature has been done in the Vatican’s 600 year history. At 5,000 euros a piece, guests will enjoy a meal amidst the art of Michelangelo and Raphael and enjoy a concert provided by the choir from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. The article states that the proceeds will be going towards supporting the homeless, however no specific charity has been announced.
The Sistine Chapel is cracking down on tourists more and more, letting less of them through the chapel daily, enforcing a no picture policy, and monitoring time in order to rush visitors quickly through the chapel in hopes of elongating the life of the art and the structure (less human breath packed into a space = less moisture in the air = less damage to painting). However, what makes the guests of Porche an exception? Because they can pay the price? Is the exception that the proceeds are going to charity? There are too many problems already arising as if this is the crack that opens the floodgates. We’ve discussed in length about consumerism and faith specifically situations where and how a religions can be represented in another brand. But what happens when it’s the other way around, when the brand is represented within the faith, as in this situation. Will this open up opportunities for other corporations and brands to be affiliated with or host a party at The Vatican? Will Pope Francis’ next automobile be a Porsche?
