Bob, an American by birth, was on vacation in Europe. He noticed a marble column in a church in Rome with a golden telephone on it. As a young priest passed by, Bob asked what the telephone was for. The priest told him it was a direct line to Heaven, and if he’d like to call, it would be a thousand Euros. Bob was amazed, but declined the offer.
Throughout his travels Bob kept seeing the same golden telephone on a marble column. At each, he asked about it and the answer was always the same: a direct line to Heaven and he could call for a thousand Euros.
Bob finished his tour of Europe with a stop in Ireland . He decided to attend Mass at a local village church. When he walked in the door he noticed the golden telephone, but underneath it there was a sign stating:
“DIRECT LINE TO HEAVEN — €0.25”
“Father,” he said as the priest ended mass, “I have been all over Europe and in all the cathedrals I visited, I’ve seen telephones exactly like this one but the price is always a thousand Euros. Why is it that this one is only 25 centimes?”
The priest smiled and said,
“Son, you’re in Ireland now. It’s a local call.”
