anyone heard that Vatican monks sell their urine

I thought this story was very odd. I was talking to a doctor about various medications and so on, what goes into them etc, etc when the conversation turns to the Vatican monks. She said that there was a bit of a fuss being made about urine from the Vatican monks making its way into quite a few different regular medications. She was adamant it was true and said that there was quite alot of opposition to it but that the practice continues. She said that apparently they have sepreate toilets in the Vatican for collecting urine, and the other stuff. When the urine is collected it goes to certain pharmecuticals, I don't know which ones, and goes into regular drugs, I can't recall the names of any of those drugs. She seemed to think it was common knowledge among doctors.

Have any of you heard about this. It seems like one strange story, like going back to the dark ages. And imagine a chemical company would have actually struck a deal with the Vatican for their piss, paying them top dollar for it too. The theory being that the Vatican monks' piss is better than the rest of ours!!!

I was surprised that urine was being used as an active ingredient in some drugs, and very surprised it was coming from the Vatican.

has anyone else got any more information on it

I thought that someone might have known something about this. Anyone in the pharma industry or doctors know anything about urine from Vatican monks being used in some medications. I was hoping to find more on this story.

I have to say, at the start of this post, that I never imagined that I would be ever do a "google search" with the tag "monk urine". It just goes to show that anything is possible.

Nevertheless, I could'nt find anything about monk urine from Roman Catholic monks in the Vatican. I believe that doctor you spoke of got his monks mixed up (an easy thing to do I suppose). While I didn't find anything about "Vatican monk urine" I did find quite a bit (too much really) about Budhist or Tibetan monk urine.

I'll let you do your own search on "monk urine" (everyone should have to type that at least once in their life) but suffice it to say that monk urine, indeed, has been and continues to be used as a folk remedy in various parts of Asia and, I suppose the world. Of course I don't imagine that the urine necessarily needs to be from a monk but I would think that if one had to have urine, why not get it from a monk?

Levity aside, I can't help but note that I find it interesting that people would actually believe something as ludicrous as this. The fact that a doctor would believe such a thing is an example of anti-Catholic mythology in the same vein as the anti-Jewish mythology. An example of anti-Jewish mythos is the belief that Jews would kidnap Catholic children (boys in particular) to use their blood in the baking of Matzos, an unleavened wafer bread used at Passover celebrations.

Anyway, this thread raises one question; would you prefer your own urine over the urine of a stranger, even if that stranger is a monk?

For some reason I can't let this topic go (I hope I don't need therapy). I did a little more investigation and I have come to believe that the doctor might have actually been referring to "urine monkeys". A Urine monkey is a term that refers to "bladder jockeys"; the people who ferry urine from the doctor offices to the labs for analysis.

Considering the similarity between the terms "monk urine" and "uriine monkeys" , one can surmise that an error might have easily been made in comprehension. Hopefully this is the case.

The doctor who said this story didn't care if I believed it or not and said it in such a way with absolute certainty that it was true and was common knowledge among doctors or people in the medical drugs trade in western europe. She was talking about strange or surprising ingredients that go into some of the medications.

It certainly wasn't said in any kind of anti-the vatican way at all. She had no agenda, just chatting about an amusing fact, or what she believed to be fact, and she does work in the pharmecutical industry in the UK. I am not in contact with her so can't ask her any more about it. It was only when I was thinking of it later that I thought how bizarre the story was.

She was very clear that a chemical company (or even more than 1 if I understood correctly) buys the urine from the Vatican monks, or Vatican priests or bishops would probably be more correct than monks.

She wasn't saying the urine was handed out to drink as a remedy, rather it was mixed with other substances to produce whichever pills.

I think you very much misunderstood my post if you thought the doctor was anti-vatican, she is Catholic herself.

She was saying there were alot of voices of opposition to the practice, and it has been going on for a long time.

This leads me to believe that other people know about it, if the story is true of course. If it is true then I imagine there is an effort to keep it quiet and out of public knowledge, but other people would have heard the story also.

I changed the search from Vatican monks to priests on google, no results relating to this story. Maybe she was wrong, but she did tell the story as it was a fact.

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
Considering the similarity between the terms "monk urine" and "uriine monkeys" , one can surmise that an error might have easily been made in comprehension. Hopefully this is the case.

I can see where your coming from, but that isn't the case here, she was definitely talking about Vatican priests or Vatican Bishops, not sure what title they have exactly, but she meant humans, she was even detailing how they have seperate toilets for when they urine, and the urine is collected before sale.

The story is making more and more curious, I will attempt to get confirmation again, but I don't have any contact info for that woman. If i learn more I wil let you know

Now heres a refreshing new ats theme!!i cant wait till the first studies come in comparing"HOLY PISS"vs.Secular!I for one eagerly await the results!...I Think i need therapy too!!

[edit on 8-3-2007 by Xfile]

presumably the "Holy Piss" will have a brighter colour than the "lay mans piss" and will smell of roses and taste like fine wine!!!

they use horse urine in making "the pill" for women. fyi!

I wonder if the denomination of the HOLY PISS could become a factor concerning its therapeutic potency??Inquiring minds need to know!!

All right. Let us just suppose that this story is true. I am not saying that this story isn't true however it does give one pause. So, let us just suppose that all is as is reported. The Vatican has special toilet facilities -- I would suppose that it would be more urinal-esque in design -- to collect and store the urine from monks.

At this point, I have to wonder whether this is expressly for monk urine. Might not the urine from ordained clergy be acceptable? What about nun urine? Anyway, I digress. It is traditional that positions within the Vatican be filled by, primarily, priests. Monks or brothers working within the Vatican, although not unheard of, is definitely not the norm. With in this mind, I would have to wonder whether the story was wholly accurate.

Nevertheless, assuming that this story is absolutely true, I will continue. So, we have a situation where the urine from Vatican clergy is being collected, stored and ultimately sold. The Vatican clergy urine is being sold to pharmaceutical companies. In the labs, the specially collected Vatican clergy urine is being combined with various pharmaceutical products. I presume these pharmaceutical products to be medicine as this story was, after all, reported by a doctor.

All right. we have a situation. In the acceptantace that this story is, indeed, true. I must ask some added questions;

- No pun intended but first I must ask, "in God's name", why on Earth would they -- the pharmaceutical companies -- need Vatican clergy urine? Monk piss? It would seem that this was a specific requirement.

- Why would monk urine or the urine from clergy be so in demand? What is there about the urine of this group of men?

- How did the Vatican ever get mixed up in something like this?
- How did the Pharmacetical companies ever come to realize that Vatican clergy urine was so vitally important in the production of life saving medications?
- Does this have anything at all to do with the miraculous spring-water at Lourdes?

This is silly.

We have priest friends in Rome. One works in the Vatican. They don't sell their piss. They know of no one who does.

lol FlyersFan you didn't ask them did you

The Vatican keeps a tight control over all goods sold and you will find that all of the shops around the Vatican sell the same items and i'm pretty certain you wont find vials of urine next to the figurine of the Virgin Mary.






[edit on 8-3-2007 by freeradical]

This thread is beyond weird. I could not resist doing a little search though.

Urine therapy !

Urine therapy

Ok, I have been trying to follow this up, its a bizarre story and is even a bit embarrassing making enquiries and I hardly know the doctor who told me this. I did ask someone else who was there and they confirm that the doctor who now works for a pharmecutical company said very clearly that some pharmecutical companies do include urine in their medicine, urine having some healing qualities apparently like the last poster suggested, (know that before modern detergents urine was used for washing clothes), I hadn't known urine was considered to have some healing powers. Anyway she said that the companies wanted the urine from the best source. So she declared that there are special toilets in the Vatican for the members of the clergy to take a piss and it is collected and sold for a very high price to the chemical company, she did say it costs alot and that the medications it goes into is expensive. There is an opposition to this practice but still it goes on. That was her story anyhow.

Now I am trying to make contact with that doctor for more info, which particular company buys the stuff.

When I said Vatican "monks" I should have said Vatican clergy, or whatever titles they have, they aren't necessarily monks?

I must imagine this info is classified and it is a secret of both the pharma companies and the Vatican.

I will probably find out which company the doctor works for, but doesn't necessarily mean that is the company buying the Vatican piss.

If this story is true I would have to assume the Vatican do have some sort of hold over the chemical company because no business would seriously pay extra for priests piss.... would they??? And I would also have to assume that alot of other people would know if there is any truth to the story.

It would seem very wrong for the Vatican to sell their urine, you might say its a shame to waste it!!!!! But it seems wrong to me.

Anyhow I hope someone else will shed more light on it.

Well this story might have some credibility in that the Vatican held sizeable shares of stock in the Swiss Pharmaceutical company, Serono, S.A.

The company does extensive research in fertility drugs and birth control. Furthermore, the company does collect urine for the extraction of certain salts, enzymes and other substances. However, I have not been able to find any link to the concept that the Vatican clergy collects and sells urine to Serono.

Because of the nature of research that Serono does -- fertility and birth control -- the Vatican divested itself of company stock in the `1970's.

It is understandable that a pharmaceutical company that does research in fertility and birth control might not be the sort of company that the Vatican might want to be associated with. When it became known that the Vatican owned sizeable shares of the company, the Vatican quickly sold off it's shares.

I believe that your doctor might have made some sort of association between Serono and it's urine collection program and the Vatican. The news of the Vatican association, it seems, was noted in the media shortly before the Vatican divestment of the Serono stock. This is probably the source of this particular story.

Although im not in the clergy i have been reading my bible quite alot lately.In light of this fact do you people suppose my urine could at least be used in the making of GENERIC brands of medication??I truly want to participate because im so tired of people telling me i dont give a piss about anything!!

[edit on 11-3-2007 by Xfile]

Originally posted by Xfile
Although im not in the clergy i have been reading my bible quite alot lately.In light of this fact do you people suppose my urine could at least be used in the making of GENERIC brands of medication??I truly want to participate because im so tired of people telling me i dont give a piss about anything!!

[edit on 11-3-2007 by Xfile]

Oh yeah, your piss is probably got magic powers at this stage and you will be getting top dollar from the pope for it!!!

Benevolant Tyrant, some interesting details about Serono. It does display a bit of hypocrisy from the Vatican when they were against contraception and yet there were making money out of contraceptives through Serono and only ended their ties after pressure was put on them.

However this doctor was very clear that the practice of the Vatican selling its urine is being practiced today. She was certainly very sure of her facts.

Do you know if the Vatican is involved with other pharmaceuticals? It seems absurd that the Vatican would be buying shares of these pharmaceuticals, what have they got to do with religion???

Originally posted by golddragnet

Do you know if the Vatican is involved with other pharmaceuticals? It seems absurd that the Vatican would be buying shares of these pharmaceuticals, what have they got to do with religion???

I don't know if the Vatican has investments in other pharmaceuticals, that is, specifically. I do know that the Vatican does, indeed, have extensive investments in a variety of sectors. As far as the Vatican buying shares of pharmaceutical or any other company, that only makes sense.

People have the concept that the Vatican is just some treasure trove where the Pope and the cardinals loll about in opulence. Well, they certainly do enjoy lovely surroundings. Over the centuries, the Vatican did accumulate a huge amount of art, artifacts, books and documents that have extreme value today. However as many of those pieces of art and whatnot were acquired as gifts -- tokens from nations to the Holy See. In some instances, it would be considered a tremendous insult to the nations that presented these objects to the Vatican.

Nevertheless, the Vatican must also hold numbers of documents and books because of their historic value while ignoring the huge sums of money that could, otherwise, be garnered from their sale. Such is the way of scholastic and nationalistic interests that they must co-exist along the the theological. The Vatican, to it's credit, does have extensive charitable pursuits, the Catholic Relief Services being the most noted.

I might do some additional research and try to develop a listing of Vatican holdings as it might be of some interest.

This maybe ? Google VATICAN URINE

"June 23, 2000

FLO HENDERSON GREASES AL ROKER ON “LATER TODAY”

On June 21, the Catholic League blasted “Today” show weatherman Al Roker for telling a crude joke about nuns while hawking his new book on talk TV shows. On this morning’s edition of “Later Today,” host Florence Henderson asked Roker about the joke and the Catholic League’s objections. The only problem was she never stated what our objections were. Indeed, she opined that Roker would never be offensive.

Over the past week, Roker told Larry King, et al., the story of his wife’s use of perganol, a fertility-inducing drug that has been tested by using the urine of “menopausal nuns.” Roker said that because the drug is expensive, it would have been “cheaper to adopt a nun” and have her “pee in a cup.” The league corrected Roker’s historical account of the drug testing and criticized his brand of humor. Now Florence Henderson has entered the fray by intentionally misrepresenting the Catholic League’s position. She was given a copy of our news release by Msgr. Michael Wrenn, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, at a New York restaurant on Wednesday.

On “Later Today” Henderson mentioned how Roker’s wife had trouble getting pregnant but that she succeeded “through the urine of postmenopausal women.” She then offered, “you got in a little bit of trouble with the Catholic League because of it. Would you just speak about that, because I know you would never, never mean to be offensive?” Roker’s easy response drew applause from the audience.

Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:

“If anyone at NBC wants to know why so many Americans are distrustful of the media, they should look at the Henderson-Roker clip. How cute it was to have a star from the ‘Today’ show questioned by a star from ‘Later Today’ about an offensive joke he has told about nuns, without ever repeating the joke. Worse, Henderson never said that it was nuns who were the butt of Roker’s insult humor. Some might call this spin. I call it deceit. It might even qualify as incest.”