Santa checks list twice, finds out that Pope is naughty

ROME - Santa Claus declared the Pope "naughty" for the first time in recent memory, and delivered a large lump of coal to him in time for Christmas.  In what was seen as a particularly harsh move on Santa's part, the coal was deposited not in the Pope's stocking, but directly onto the Pope himself.  Vatican officials refused to speculate on Santa's reasons for removing the Pope from the "nice" list this year, stating only that "we are aware of no naughtiness on the part of His Holiness."  Reached by telephone at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus said that her husband was "very busy" and would have no comment on the matter, adding that "we never discuss 'the list' with the media."

But seriously folks, this picture is from a work of art entitled "The Ninth Hour," by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which features a wax likeness of the Pope after being struck by a meteorite.  It recently sold for $3 million.  Proving once again that we are all in the wrong line of work.