Impaled: Paywall for urbi et orbi

The Pope is (always) Catholic, and what's more, he's German (this time). But I think he's great. Honestly. The way he stood majestically in the Benediction loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday and poured out his "urbi et orbi" over the faithful masses in St. Peter's Square and in front of the screens was simply stunning. "Bauer sucht Frau" simply can't compete in terms of entertainment value. After all, the special papal blessing dates back to the 13th century, it is only available at Easter and Christmas, it can only be given by Papa himself and it guarantees all those who want it a remission of sins like in the Middle Ages. And it's even free of charge - at least for those standing on St. Peter's Square. Do you remember? "When the money rings in the box, the soul leaps out of purgatory." Urbi et orbi. To the city and the world. For that alone, it would be worthwhile to be Pope one day. Or just a pope.

But the Vatican is not as holy and tidy as the Pope makes it seem at Easter. It's all a bluff. The truth is that the holy lords under the velvet and brocade are all washed up. They are making plans to take money out of their sheep's pockets: L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, for example, wants to erect a paywall for its newly launched website. Until now, everyone has been able to enjoy the newspaper's spiritual and intellectual outpourings every day free of charge, but from September 1, users of www.osservatoreromano.va will have to reach for their wallets if they want to read the holy lines. Editor-in-chief Giovanni Maria Vian has decided this, reports the Guardian. After all, something has to pay for polishing the pope's ring and inspecting the papamobile. Because as the number of churchgoers dwindles, the collection is no longer so generous.

The planned online fee for the Osservatore is actually nothing more than an indulgence: if you pay, you can read and are therefore free from sin. A great package. In any case, the Schaffhauser Nachrichten does not offer its subscribers forgiveness included. The holy paywall benefits orbi et urbi - the world and, above all, Vatican City. It was not possible to find out whether the Pope has already given his blessing.