What Will Be Next?

With a rise in the popularity of Christian-style weddings in Japan, some This story comes from the BBC by way of Catholic World News. Sometimes when you might think things are settling down, you get a fortune cookie that breaks your contentment.

Westerners are finding they can make a lucrative living by acting as priests. But it does not please everyone, particularly genuine priests. Mark Kelly is originally from Lancashire in England. He has been living in Japan for six years and, at the weekend, he is a fake priest. "I was living in Sapporo, studying Japanese, and I needed the money. It's far better paid than teaching in a language school," he said. "Being a fake priest is big business in Japan -- I've done a TV commercial for one company," he added. "In Sapporo, there are five agencies employing about 20 fake priests. In a city like Tokyo, there must be hundreds." The fake Western priests are employed at Western-style weddings to give a performance and add to the atmosphere. These are not legal ceremonies -- the couples also have to make a trip to the local registrar.