According to The Wall Street Journal, the crypt of Basilica di San Carlo al Corso is not just for the tombs of cardinals past. It is now a watering hole for young local Catholics to hang out, have a drink, and be social with their friends as well as their bishops. The nightclub, called GP2 (which is short for Giovanni Paolo II, the late Polish pope) includes a live-music stage and a bar serving beer, wine, and of course Prosecco.
“There should be more places like this,” said Annalisa Gennaro, a 21-year-old theology student. “It’s about time the church woke up.”
The man behind the idea is Rev. Maurizio Mirilli, the head of youth ministry in Rome’s Catholic Church. He thought of the idea to convert the crypt into a nightclub after the Vatican’s World Youth Day, which brought millions of Catholics from around the world and later became known as the “Catholic Woodstock.” This inspired Father Mirilli to find ways to revive the spirit of young Catholics, and after raising a few thousand euros, the popular daytime hang out turned into a swanky nighttime hot spot.
The features of GP2 are similar to that of a typical Roman bar, with speakers playing pop and disco music, and bartenders slinging drinks from 7 p.m. until midnight, even on Sundays. There is no cover charge to get in, and they have a two-drink maximum, and are not serving hard spirits, such as vodka or gin.
“We don’t keep a list of what every customer orders, but we want people to drink, not to get drunk,” Father Mirilli says.”
The back of the club also boasts a club confessional, where clubbers can go to give late night confessions to Father Mirilli, if need be.
GP2 is putting up with competition-mainly from a club next door which happens to be one of the city’s posh night clubs. In order to stand up to them, Father Mirilli is charging 2.50 euro (about $3.50) for a beer- about a third of what his rivals charge.
David Mahawili, a 31-year-old luggage handler, and a regular at GP2 said “GP2 is the spot to ‘get to know a girl’, rather than ‘pick her up.’”
