Catholic priest lashes Labor minister for mid-mass pasta gaffe

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has drawn the ire of a Catholic priest and his flock after wolfing down a bowl of fresh pasta during Sunday mass.

Labor heavyweight Chris Bowen has been reprimanded by a Catholic priest after committing the ultimate faux pas at a religious ceremony on Sunday – chowing down on a bowl of pasta mid-mass.

The federal Energy Minister’s pasta-fuelled transgression occurred when he attended Sunday morning mass held for the Italian festival Festa Della Republica at Club Marconi in southwest Sydney’s Bossley Park.

Witnesses at the event, which was being held in a marquee from 11am, said Mr Bowen walked into the mass late, as people had risen to take communion, before sitting in his assigned seat in the front row. He then proceeded to eat his bowl of pasta through the remainder of the mass.

Mr Bowen claims he did not even realise he was in mass.

Screen grabs of a video showing Chris Bowen MP eating a bowl of pasta during mass at Club Marconi in Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Images of the pasta, posted to Mr Bowen’s social media page, appear to show he had purchased gnocchi from one of the festival stalls.

The presiding priest, Reverend Anthony Fregolent, was so aghast he finished his service by reminding the audience in Italian not to eat during Mass.

Rev Fregolent told The Daily Telegraph Mr Bowen needed to have more “respect” for the “sacredness of the place”.

“When you arrive halfway through the service, you should go to your place and be quiet,” he said

“The welcoming is very important in our faith and our religion, but also the respect for the sacredness of the place is important.”

Chris Bowen purchasing the bowl of pasta from a festival stall.

Rev Fregolent said he was so disappointed that members of the congregation were eating pasta during the service, he felt the need to mention it at the end of the mass.

“I said in the future I would like to see a little bit more order, and also to respect and not eating (sic) while in mass … respect the place and what we are celebrating,” he said.

“Somebody told me after the mass, ‘you should have said it in English too’, but the celebration was in Italian, so I said everything in Italian.”

Other attendees of the mass were dismayed at Mr Bowen’s pasta-eating antics.

One witness who was part of the event, said Mr Bowen did not look like he knew he was giving offence.

“He comes in late, walks right across the front row, and starts tucking into a bowl of pasta,” the witness said.

“Can you imagine bringing a pasta into a mosque – maybe it was the outdoor seating, but it was a full-on mass.

“I don’t think he realised what he was doing.”

Another attendee of the mass, said many of the other Catholics worshipping in the marquee felt eating during the service “so rude”.

“The priest was absolutely mortified … you’d think he’d finish his pasta and then come in, or at least put it under his seat but he was just eating,” the attendee said.

“It’s extremely rude – any Catholic would be disgusted.”

A spokesperson for Mr Bowen said he did not even realise he was in mass at all.

“Festa Della Republica is a wonderful celebration of Italian culture, food and heritage,” the spokesperson said.

“There is a mass which Mr Bowen did not attend followed by a public event which he did.

“He did not realise the mass was in the final stages when he entered the marquee, as people were leaving. If he had realised, he would have waited a few minutes.”

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Originally published as Catholic priest lashes Labor minister for mid-mass pasta gaffe