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Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 12:01 AM

Humor magazine McSweeney’s posts a satirical cover letter for the world’s most discussed job opening:

Dear sir or madam,

I am writing to apply for the position of Pope. I recently received my Bachelor of Arts, or “artium baccalaureus,” from Dartmouth College, with a major concentration in Theatre Studies and a minor concentration in Computer Science. While I have been focusing on the technology and financial sectors, I have recently decided to widen my job search to include top non-profits, such as your organization. I became aware of the availability of the position of Pope through the Dartmouth listserv; I am greatly impressed by the achievements of The Catholic Church and share many of its goals. I believe my qualifications and outlook make me a unique and interesting candidate for Pope and I would be enthusiastic to grow with The Catholic Church. . . .

As your website notes, the role of Pope includes “Guiding the College of Cardinals, and the masses.” Through my participation in the Freshman Buddy Program, I have helped many younger students through difficult situations, including homesickness and mono. I feel like it is important to give back, a value I believe any organization would appreciate in their Pope.

As an excellent student with advanced people skills and an exciting resume, with a desire to be part of a challenging, energetic, and reputable organization, I will be a valuable addition to The Catholic Church as your new Pope.

While I am focusing my employment search in the San Francisco Bay area, I am open to a discussion of relocation.

I thank you in advance for your consideration,
John Ortved

4 Comments

    Joe DeVet
    February 26th, 2013 | 8:09 am

    Cute.

    On the other hand, our pastor announced after weekday mass the other day, that following a time of intense prayer and reflection, if elected Pope he will respectfully decline the honor.

    We all breathed a sigh of relief.

    Also cute, and a bit more to the point. Anyone whose ambition is to be even a bishop of a diocese, much less the even more impossible role of pope, automatically disqualifies himself for reasons of mental illness. These roles are giant crosses to bear, and only the very strong spiritually can move forward under such weight.

    harry
    February 26th, 2013 | 8:38 am

    Does John Ortved realize it’s a dead-end job with no chance of promotion? ;o)

    Peter
    February 26th, 2013 | 9:43 pm

    I feel like it is important to give back

    Anyone who can write a sentence like the one above is already disqualified.

    nobody
    February 26th, 2013 | 9:44 pm

    I was young and now I am old. And while I chuckled briefly while reading this, I realize it is gallows humor — too close to actual state of things to be truly comical.

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