A young Catholic couple I know recently ended the prenuptial interview with their parish priest by asking if there would be a charge for the use of the church. The priest was not marrying them – a friend was doing that – and the girl’s family had contributed to the parish in various ways all her life. The couple were stunned to be told there was no charge but a “fixed donation” of £650 would be required. When they told this to a friend, she said that she had been charged “10 per cent of the overall cost of the wedding” by her parish church. In her words, “When you get married everyone rips you off. But you don’t expect your Church to rip you off too.” At first – like these young people – I was shocked by the amo