While Economies Crumble, Church Blows 100K on Pope's Brother

I am a big fan of the newswire. A constant influx of headlines beckoning potential readers with a catchy turn of phrase or startling revelation. So as I browsed the AFP wire today I ran across these two headlines a few pixels away from each other:

Spanish restaurant launches 'anti-crisis' lunch menu for one euro

and ...

100,000-euro birthday bash for pope's brother: report

So basically, as the entire world works feverishly to fend off a catastrophic financial meltdown of epic proportions, proof of which can already be seen in restaurants offering a 5 course meal for a single euro, a German diocese is throwing a 100,000 euro kegger for the pope's brother.

Brilliant.

This is the religious equivalent of AIG sending top earners on a $400,000 retreat the same week the government gives them $87 billion.

I'm not saying the Church is corrupt, I'm just saying that the 100K being spent on a fucking birthday party (to fly an entire choir in to Rome no less) might be better spent doing one of those very Christian things like, I don't know, HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE IN A TIME OF EXTREME ECONOMIC HARDSHIP.

Can't wait to hear what El Poperino has to say about all this ...