Vatican: The Viagra Pope

The deal raised a storm in Italy. Negotiations were top secret, but the reputed financial paper „Milano Finanza“ broke the news: Pope Benedict XVi is going to buy the Pfizer Viagra manufacturing plant in Nerviano near Milano. The deal will be done in the name of the venerable brotherhood "Figli dell'Immacolata Concezione" (children of the immaculate conception). The order tries to present the takeover as a good dead. It may save 300 jobs as Pfizer considered to close down the Milano plant despite the protest of trade unions, say the brethren, who are already running Pfizer´s medical research centre in Nerviano since three years.

The Vatican keeps mum about the holy father´s reach for the blue pill. An anonymous insider, asked by the Swiss paper “Blick”, tried to play the story down, proposing that the factory may shift to less controversial products once in immaculate hands. But there are other representatives of the Catholic Church like archbishop Arrieta (Spain) who openly recommend Viagra to brighten the sex life of the faithful - of course only those living in heterosexual marriages. “The faithful can take Viagra”, Arrieta said recently. "Married couples have the right to experience the sexual act."

Behind the closed doors of the Vatican, "Viagra della Papa” is the talk of the town. It is expected that it may soon be roaring business and bing some sexappeal to the fading attraction of Catholicism, too.

[Bulletin # 166]