Church Sees Money In Credit Cards

A new consumer trend has just been born in Brazil: the catholic credit card. The card, launched by the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, is the first of its kind in the whole world.

In Brazil, credit cards have become very popular as urban violence means its better not to walk around with too much money in your pockets. The number of credit cards in circulation rose 25% between 2005 and 2006.

The church decided to exploit this opportunity, explains Father Edvino. "Where do you best raise money? With the banks, which earn a lot of it, rather than by taking more money from the poor."

The Church needs money for its work with the poor in places like the Providencia health center. The center treats forty people a day. People on the margins of society: beggars, prostitutes, transvestites. The doctors treat some seriously ill patients with diseases such as tuberculosis and AIDS.

Part of the proceeds from the catholic card will be spent on the health center, representing a lifeline for the project, says its director, Doctor Linhares.

"The center demands a large budget. The people who come here don?t have anything. They live on the streets. Here, they take a bath, we give them something to eat, give them basic hygiene products, fresh clothes and shoes. We also deal out medicines. These people really want for everything," Linhares said.

The card has provided some much-needed positive publicity for the church as it tries to clean up its image.

"When the Church opens it eyes, and looks for inspiration from the business world on how to help the poor, it will realize that marketing is vital."

Following on from the success of the credit card, the Archbishop wants to launch a catholic investment fund. In a country where the gap between rich and poor can be enormous, the church wants to support the poorest with a helping hand from capitalists.