Both these items are from Libby Purves in the Times (what an unfortunate surname) many of whose posts have been entertaining recently.

(I will pass gracefully over the slur to “guardinistas” in her recent post on a guardian blog about religion and how us atheists shouldn’t upset the bloggers Irish Catholic family with our strident atheism.. 🙂 Most of the comments she saw as ranting from enraged guardianistas seemed at least perfectly rational to me – whether I agreed with the commenter or not. Which is in itself a novelty, given the mad ranting that so often pops up on CIF)

First, the lasermonks who sell printer cartridges, with a range of other monk-producd products you can buy:

In the UK, more modestly, Gorton monastery will provide fridge magnets among other things, and Ampleforth offers Old Amplefordian braces, damson gin, cufflinks , and a link to some Norwegian Cistercian nuns who market moisturizer and “St Olav’s Skin Treatment”, made of pomegranate, aloe vera, peach kernel, yarrow, rosemary and green tea in a bottle with a “real wood” top. No flies on them. Get your Christmas shopping done now.

There’s a great comment from Philip in the USA:

Monks made a lot more money back in the day, when they sold penance. Oh, but then there was that Reformation thing. My bad.

Fridge magnets, braces, cufflinks and moisturiser? Small scale stuff. A bit charming and olde-worlde really. The church used to film “4 Weddings and a Funeral” is more up to date, using the advantages that come from being a Hollywood brand.

The Priory Church of St Gregory the Great (the church made famous by Four Weddings and a Funeral) has installed cash registers at its doors and is charging visitors to come in. It’s the first parish church to demand a fee, seven cathedrals already do so. £4 will get you in – if you’re not there for a service – or for £30 you can go as many times as you like in a year.

I’ll have to set aside the idea that anyone would be drawn by Four Weddings and a Funeral to want to do anything like visiting the church where the aforementioned rites of passage took place, as opposed to, say, giving the director and actors a good kicking. If anything, you would think the association would have driven even the most devout parishioner to think seriously about trusting their spiritual welfare to a different City church.

Turns out it’s for its roof – the archetypal church roof fund – rather than for massive US-pastor-style personal enrichment. What is it about church roofs? Why are they always so crap?

However, this is interesting in itself. It’s the City of London, (to you Americans, it’s like Wall Street, but generally richer….) A fair proportion of its regular visitors could probably buy a new roof without seriously breaking into their annual bonuses. Doesn’t this imply that the City of London’s Christian commodity traders may be a fair bit more in thrall to Mammon than to their supposed Christianity? Perish the thought.