Is Microsoft buying this Church?

MICROSOFT Bids to Acquire Catholic Church
By Hank Vorjes
Rome, Italy
April 7, 2007

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- In a joint press conference in St. Peter's Square this morning, MICROSOFT Corp. and the Vatican announced that the Redmond software giant will acquire the Roman Catholic Church in exchange for an unspecified number of shares of MICROSOFT common stock. If the deal goes through, it will be the first time a computer software company has acquired a major world religion.

With the acquisition, Pope John Paul II will become the senior vice-president of the combined company's new Religious Software Division, while MICROSOFT senior vice-presidents Michael Maples and Steven Ballmer will be invested in the College of Cardinals, said MICROSOFT Chairman Bill Gates.

"We expect a lot of growth in the religious market in the next five to ten years," said Gates. "The combined resources of MICROSOFT and the Catholic Church will allow us to make religion easier and more fun for a broader

All HAIL POPE BILLY

How stupid to fall for that.

Don't believe every thing you breath.

What the hell would MICROSOFT need a church for? Oh! Christian voice- automated computers! THAT would be the day!

prettty crazy!
what is bill gaining tho?
technology with religon sounds kinda strange but okay?

Very funny!

This story is a hoax and no one seems to know who started this terrible joke.

well since technology is kind of a pseudo state, in a sense, i guess you can say gates and the pope hope to once again unify church and state. further more in this article gates says that they expect growth in religion. well when microsoft goes catholic, it becomes religious brain wash. and then people will call the gates the pope, or maybe a buddah reincarnate. wow what a concept. i wonder if gates will next try to buy peices of america in exchange for "unspecified number of shares", so then the gap between state and religion is bridged by technology.

wow what a concept.

considering Pope John Paul II is dead and the current pope is Benedict, I think this is a rumor/hoax started b4 the death of John Paul II.