The Pope's Monthly Retirement Payment: Not So GaudyThe Pope's Monthly Retirement Payment: Not So Gaudy

Our Assistant Managing Editor Diana Britton posted a note about how Saturday Night Live spoofed Pope Benedict XVI's visit to a financial advisor to discuss his retirement package. What is so interesting is how rarely popes retire. The 85-year-old  Joseph Ratzinger will, according to foreign press accounts be paid 2,500 euros a month.

That says MarketWatch is " Coincidentally, the pope’s pension is almost identical to the maximum Social Security benefit a U.S. retiree could earn if she retired this year–$3,350 a month."