World

Melbourne: An Italian priest caught driving over the alcohol limit on Sunday pleaded with police that it was only because of the holy wine he had had to drink as part of the mass.

But the police did not accept the excuse and revoked the priest's driving licence, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest was caught coming off the Milan-Turin motorway with a blood alcohol content of 0.8gm per litre, above the authorised limit in Italy of 0.5gm.

He is now set to appeal, saying his alcohol consumption was not "voluntary" since it was part of the Catholic ritual in the four masses that he had celebrated during the day.

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