A few days ago at First Things William Doino, Jr. posted a well-written, thoughtful piece entitled: “Should Priests Drive Fancy Cars?”
Doino, channeling Francis, advocates the biblical text Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart will be also.
Very good. Yet, I respond with 1 Timothy 5:18:
Dignus est operarius mercede sua.
This, of course, is rendered as “A worker is worthy of his Mercedes.”
“Mercedes” here needs additional study. Are priests to be limited to the Mercedes-Benz? Certainly not. Audi, BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen are acceptable by analogy. Moreover, with a deeper, anagogical hermeneutic, non German-made vehicles are to be tolerated.
Look. When Pope Francis really gets serious about this and decides to get around on the cheap, he could adopt what is also the greenest shuttle solution of them all!
This is a winner.
Think it through. He would be close to and even more visible to El Pueblo, the vehicle would be even greener than an electric car, and – for cheap? – men would line up simply for the honor of carrying him around gratis. What’s wrong with that?
Furthermore, he already has more than one!
If those older chairs are too spiffy, I’ll bet you all the money in my pocket right now that Mercedes-Benz could make a new sedia gestatoria for the Holy Father for a less than the €500k that the popemobile costs.
Or he could choose a local option and get his ride from FIAT!
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