Rome Police Confiscate Thousands of ‘Fake’ Blessings Near Vatican

[Warren Stupidity]

Police said Monday they had seized 3,500 fake Vatican parchments that were being sold to unsuspecting pilgrims taking part in Pope Francis’ Holy Year celebrations.

Rome’s financial police seized the parchments, valued at about 70,000 euros ($76,000), at a souvenir shop near St. Peter’s Basilica, where heightened police patrols have been deployed to protect pilgrims taking part in the yearlong Jubilee celebrations.

The parchments were knock-offs of the calligraphy-filled, personalized Apostolic Blessing parchments that are sold inside the Vatican by Francis’ chief alms-giver to fund the pope’s charitable efforts. The parchments are valued keepsakes, commemorating births, marriages and in this case, Holy Year pilgrimages.

http://www.ryot.org/rome-police-confiscate-thousands-of-fake-blessings-near-vatican/947208

Vatican: Hey! Stop! That's our scam!

[bvf]

1. As opposed to the "real" kind.

I went at this:

The sequester — part of the 1 million counterfeit objects seized in the first week of the Jubilee celebrations — lent credence to the Vatican’s own warning that fraudsters may pose a greater risk to visitors for the Holy Year than Islamic extremists. (emphasis added)

Glad I got my piece of The One True Cross^TM back in grade school before such shameless fakery was of concern to anyone.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Threatening the vatican's revenue does seem to produce results.

[cleanhippie]

5. Seems to be the only thing that does.

[trotsky]

7. No, I'm pretty sure posting lots and lots of stuff about atheists on a message board...

helps too. In some way.

[cleanhippie]

8. It helps feed an obsessive-compulsive need to deflect from the real problems and dangers

Of the hateful, misogynistic, paternalistic institution that is the RCC.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. I haven't posted anything about the vatican in quite a while.

Something must have changed, perhaps there has been a disturbance in the force.

[rug]

9. About as much as posting lots and lots of stuff about the Vatican.

[Act_of_Reparation]

3. Testing shows real Papal Blessings have twice the chocolately goodness...

...and only half the fat!

[Warren Stupidity]

4. I put mine into a smoothie every morning!

[Kalidurga]

6. Darn

I knew I shouldn't have bought that blessing from the guy in the van down by the river. I will never be able to return it now if it doesn't work.

[Lordquinton]

10. This finger bone of John the Baptist has got to be the real deal tho

I got it on ebay and shipped it in from the Vatican of China was kissed by pope Benedicto himself!

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Hopefully it won't explode while you are using it.

By the way, how exactly does one use a finger bone?

[Lordquinton]

13. In the privacy of your own home

And with plenty of holy water.