Cardinals to join St Pauls encampment

Well, maybe not just yet - but if a recent publication from the Vatican is to be believed then it can only be a matter of time...

The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace - a mouthful in itself - has released a pamphlet rather pompously entitled "Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority"
This gloriously entitled document says that the Vatican wants a beefed-up United Nations to police the financial markets and inject a dose of ethics to replace rampant profiteering and reduce inequality.

It goes on to say that in combination with a "central world bank", such an authority would help restore "the primacy of the spiritual and of ethics", as well as "the primacy of politics – which is responsible for the common good – over the economy and finance". Financial transactions would be taxed to promote global development and sustainability, while "virtuous" banks helping out the "real economy" would qualify for state subsidy should they need it.

The document also says the International Monetary Fund is no longer up to the job of stabilising the global financial system.

Call me a cynical bastard, but are they perhaps suggesting that a "virtuously run" Vatican bank would be best for the job?

After all, the Catholic Church is one of the richest organisations on the face of the planet, so naturally they would know all about redistributing wealth to the needy, wouldn't they?..