Churchiness
My Italian-American father's side of the family is always happy to rehash an old family legend that a relative of ours was a high-level Archbishop, Cardinal, Osprey, or some other such robe-wearing, Pope-assisting clergyman in the Vatican back in ancient times, at a high enough level that he appears and is named in some famous churchy painting from back then. (In my school days I researched and verified the painting and his appearance in it, though I no longer remember the specifics apart from his being one of several ugly bastards in dresses.)

According to the family legend (this is very probably where this veers away from historical fact and toward the olive-oil-fueled delusions of the insane old people I find myself sharing select chromosomes with,) his legacy entitles anyone from our proud line to some sort of preferential treatment by the Vatican should any of us ever decide to take Holy Orders, get ordained, hop over there, and devote our lives to the Roman Catholic Church.

Oddly enough I am clergy in training these days, albeit as part of a coven of Neopagan Witches. Probably not what old great-uncle Pope-Fluffer was expecting. Good for me!

Apologies for enormous genitals.
( Rob T Firefly talked, like, William Shatner, on, Sat 5 Aug 2006, 3:07, Reply)