Religion: Poverty Cards

“Money is a danger,” said St. Francis of Assisi. The first Franciscans embraced Holy Poverty by begging for food and sleeping in stables. Their modern descendants handle filthy lucre as little as possible, but this is obviously difficult when traveling in an age of gas stations motels and Howard Johnsons. Last week at a Franciscan financial conference at St. Francis College, Loretto, Pa., U.S Franciscans heard of a happy compromise used by their Canadian brethren. Surprisingly, it is the same solution used by man non-Franciscans not sworn to poverty but headed for it. The device: credit cards.