For anyone preparing to give a speech to an audience, there’s always the chance that they’ll be rudely interrupted by someone’s mobile device ringing. Ever since cell phones entered the hands of the masses, there have been stories of theater actors stopping mid-performance to get mad at someone whose cell phone rang at a crucial moment.
With that in mind, it’s perhaps not too surprising to learn that pastors have also had a hard time preaching in church.
Michele Madonna, a pastor in Naples, Italy, was so infuriated by the constant ringing of phones during church services that he installed jammers to silence them.
The pastor told the Daily Mail that he initially put up posters asking people to turn off their phones, but when they continued to buzz and ding — even during some funerals — he purchased a $60 jammer and installed it with the approval of local police.
"What really annoys me is that when people first started turning their phones off out of embarrassment, now they put their hands over the receivers and continue talking," Father Madonna said.
While worship services are much quieter today, the priest's actions have inadvertently caused problems for other members of the community.
According to the Post, some local stores have complained that the cell phone jammer are so powerful that they are affecting the operation of their card machines, preventing transactions from being processed.
"I have had trouble using my card machine to pay since Father Madonna started using the jammer," said one angry retailer. "It simply doesn't work and I'm still losing money. Others are in the same situation - I understand how he feels, but what about us? This is our busiest time of year."
It's unclear whether Father Madonna will remove the device and once again endure cellphone noise disrupting his services, or continue to use the device despite opposition from local businesses.
[source:foxnews]