Honolulu, Hawaii – Nestled in the midst of Waikiki’s high-rise hotels and condos, St. Augustine By The Sea is less than imposing, but this Catholic Church on Kalakaua Avenue directly across from the beach sure knows how to exert its religious influence over Honolulu’s City Hall.

A new ordinance will soon go into effect banning bikinis and other skimpy swimwear on Sundays along a wide stretch of Waikiki beach – from the Waikiki Aquarium across Kapiolani Part to the Sheraton Moana Hotel (see map).

The Catholic Archdiocese of Honolulu has convinced lawmakers that this stretch of the beach should be void of bikini-clad tourists who are in plain view of Sunday churchgoers. “We want our congregation members and visiting Catholics to be free of worldy distractions as they approach or leave the church and participate in our Sunday services,” a spokesperson for the Archdiocese said. The Sunday ban will be imposed from 6am to 6pm.

Independent merchants, particularly individuals renting out surfboards, beach umbrellas and beach chaise lounges along that stretch of Waikiki beach have protested the ordinance, but the influencial  Catholic Church, as expected, has prevailed.

This is the first-known bikini ban on the beach anywhere in the world. Vietri Sul Mare, a small Italian beachside town in the Amalfi Coast,  has a bikini ban but it only applies to areas outside of the beach.