Ministerial perks
Being a priest can pay off, even in this lifetime, if you live in South Korea. The state-run Industrial Bank of Korea has unveiled a new credit card for Protestant ministers, called the “I am a Pastor” card, which gives the clergymen discounts on religious purchases such as Bibles and allows them to collect bonus points that they can then turn into donations for their churches.
Cards for other religions and denominations, including Buddhists and Catholics, are apparently in the pipeline. “We wanted to make one type of card for all of them but realised that the clergy of these different religions have different needs,” said a bank official, Kwon Han Sup. Quite what notably different expenditure the Catholic priest has from that of his Protestant counterpart remains unclear. A regularly updated confessional, perhaps? In any case, isn’t owning a few Bibles part of the job description when you sign up to the Church?
In fact, we could all do with a little extra financial assistance when it comes to our professional purchases. Given falling attendances in the pews on Sundays, all Church of England clergymen should be entitled to a card with a low interest rate. And no self-respecting chicken farmer should ever be found without his Egg card in his wallet.