Parish priest sketches images of skirts to reinforce warning

(ANSA) - Cagliari, October 21 - The parish priest in a small town in Sardegna, fed up with visitors showing too much leg, attached a detailed sketch of skirts to his church door clearly indicating the dress code.
    Highlighting the knees of a woman in a simple sketch, Father Gianluca Pretta of Santa Giusta a Gesico indicated acceptable skirt lengths - anything at or below the knee cap.
    Dotted horizontal lines almost as high as the crotch indicated what was not acceptable, reinforced with a large X across the offending garment.
    "Is it clear enough?" said the handwritten message above the sketches.
    "The skirt should touch the knees, do not force the priest to drive you out," it adds.
    The reaction of local residents was mixed with Mayor Rodolfo Cancedda suggesting the priest's attitude "against short skirts is out of fashion".
    Local media said the priest removed the sign on Monday, at the end of the feast of Sant'Amatore.
    The handmade sketches and warnings went beyond the typical type of notices posted in many churches in Italy reminding visitors that bare knees and shoulders are not permitted as a sign of respect.