Chris Bowen has been criticised by a Catholic priest for tucking into a bowl of pasta during mass.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy attended a morning mass at the Italian festival Festa Della Republica at Club Marconi in Bossley Park, south west Sydney, on Sunday.  

Witnesses told the Daily Telegraph Bowen arrived midway through the mass while people were taking communion, before sitting in the front row where he began to eat his pasta.

Reverend Anthony Fregolent, who was leading the mass, told the paper Bown needed to show more 'respect' for the 'sacredness of the place'.

'When you arrive halfway through the service, you should go to your place and be quiet,' he said.

'The welcoming is very important in our faith and our religion, but also the respect for the sacredness of the place is important.'

Rev Fregolent finished his mass, which was in Italian, with a request for people not to eat during the service.

Several witnesses accused the Labor frontbencher of being 'rude' and showing disrespect.

However, a spokesperson for Bowen said he was not even aware it was a mass.

'There is a mass which Mr Bowen did not attend followed by a public event which he did,' they told the paper. 

'He did not realise the mass was in the final stages when he entered the marquee, as people were leaving. If he had realised, he would have waited a few minutes.'

Bowen shared several pictures of himself at the festival on social media, including one of his bowl of pasta.

'Wonderful to join our local community to celebrate this important day at Club Marconi, in the heart of South-Western Sydney,' he captioned the post. 

'Viva Australia, Viva Italia!'

Conservative commentator Prue MacSween accused Bowen of being a 'fool (who) doesn’t have a clue about anything'.

'This image of the arrogant, ignorant, deluded Chris Bowen tells you everything about the man,' she wrote on X.

'Eating pasta in the front row of a Mass & Holy Communion, yet claiming he didn’t know it was a Mass.'