The recipients of the odd ceremony were a group of high school students, on a week-long summer camp organised by Libera, an anti-mafia organisation.
The priest originally intended to deliver his Sunday service under the shade of trees on a beach in Crotone, but the searing heat proved too much.
A nearby family offered Bernasconi their inflatable mattress, designed for relaxing in the sea.
The priest then decided to conduct his service in the water, with both himself and the attending students in swimsuits.
After photos of the mass went viral on social media, Bernasconi’s actions were condemned by the local Catholic archdiocese.
“Only in some special cases, during retreats, school camps and in holiday spots is it possible to celebrate mass outside a church,” the archdiocese of Crotone-Santa Severina said in a statement.
“One must always make contact with local ecclesial leaders to receive advice on the most appropriate way to carry out a celebration of the eucharist.”
Bernasconi is now under investigation for his “offence to a religious confession”, the chief prosecutor of Crotone reported.
The priest offered an explanation for his actions on Wednesday and apologised for any offence he may have caused.
“It was absolutely not my intention to trivialise the eucharist,” he said.
“It was simply a mass conducted at the end of a week of work.”
