A prototype of a holy water dispenser is seen in Capriano Briosco, around 40 km (25 miles) north of Milan November 10, 2009.(Agencies)

为防流感 意大利人发明自动圣水机
The anti-swine flu holy water dispenser
An Italian inventor has combined faith and ingenuity to come up with a way to keep church traditions alive for the faithful without the fear of contracting swine flu -- an electronic holy water dispenser.

Theterracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser in public washrooms -- a churchgoer waves his or her hand under a sensor and the machine spurts out holy water.

"It has been a bit of a novelty. People initially were a bit shocked by this technological innovation but then they welcomed it with great enthusiasm and joy. The members of this parish have got used to it," said Father Pierangelo Motta.

Catholics entering and leaving churches usually dip their hands into fonts full of holy water -- which has been blessed by a priest -- and make the sign of the cross.

But fear of contracting the H1N1 virus has led many in Italy -- where some 15 people have died of swine flu -- not to dip their hands in the communal water font.

"It's great," said worshipper Marta Caimm as she entered the church. "Thanks to this we are not worried about catching swine flu. It is the right thing for the times," she said.

Luciano Marabese, who invented the dispenser, said he did so out of concern that fear of swine flu was eroding traditions.

And he is now blessing himself all the way to the bank.

"After all the news that some churches, like Milan's cathedral, were suspending the use of holy water fonts as a measure against swine flu, demands for my invention shot to the stars. I have received orders from all over the world," he said.

(Read by Chantal Anderson. Chantal Anderson is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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 为了既保证教堂传统的延续，同时又让人们免去感染甲型流感的担忧，意大利一位发明家发明了一种“自动圣水机”，实现了信仰和创造性的完美结合。

这种用陶瓦材料制成的自动圣水机最先在意大利北部城镇布里欧斯科•佛纳西使用，其功能类似于公共洗手间里的自动给皂机，教徒只需将手放在在感应器下来回动动，机器就会喷出圣水。

皮埃朗杰罗•摩塔神父说：“这是个新玩意。一开始，人们对这种科技创新还感到有点震惊，但后来大家都十分欣然地接受了。现在这个教区的教徒们都已经习惯使用它了。”

做礼拜的天主教徒在进入和离开教堂时，通常要用手蘸一下圣水盘中由神父祝圣过的圣水，然后划十字。

但现在由于担心感染甲流病毒，很多人都不去蘸公共圣水盘里的圣水了。意大利已有15人死于甲型流感。

前来做礼拜的玛塔•卡伊姆在进入教堂时说：“这东西很棒，多亏有了它，我们才不用担心感染甲流。它来的正是时候。”

发明自动圣水机的鲁契亚诺•马拉毕斯说，他发明圣水机是因为担心对甲流的恐惧会影响传统。

而如今他自己也是财路大开。

他说：“之前，包括米兰大教堂在内的一些教堂为预防猪流感都采取了暂停使用圣水盘的措施，现在我发明的自动圣水机需求量大增。我已经收到了来自世界各地的订单。”