With the installation of Pope Benedict XVI, the two wily devils who registered domains based on the new pontiff’s name stand to either make a heavenly profit or contribute to the greater good, if their plans come to fruition.
On one side of the coin lies Florida-based technology author Rogers Cadenhead, who registered BenedictXVI.com on April 1. Cadenhead, who has publicly stated that he registered the domain to keep it away from pornographers and online casinos, has redirected the URL to Modest Needs, a charitable organization for low-income individuals.
On the flip side is Ontario, Canada-based consultant Phil M., who declined to divulge his full name and registered PopeBenedictXVI.com in February. Phil subsequently put the domain up for sale on eBay and has no qualms whatsoever about peddling it to the highest bidder.
“After visiting the Vatican last year, I personally have no issues with profiting off the sale of this domain name, be it a casino or someone in the adult industry. I could care less,” he tells AVNOnline.com.
Cadenhead, on the other hand, wants to give BenedictXVI.com over to the Vatican and is waiting to hear from papal officials. In the interim, the URL has received around 400,000 hits as of Tuesday afternoon and Modest Needs has received five times their usual donations, Cadenhead tells AVNOnline.com.
Meanwhile, Phil’s eBay auction ended hours after it was posted on Monday for a Buy It Now price of $150,000. The price raised Cadenhead’s eyebrows, but hasn’t wavered his spirit.
“I know I’m doing the right thing by giving the domain up, ecclesiastically speaking, but seeing that guy’s six-figure payday makes me want to curl up in a ball all day and eat Chunky Monkey ice cream from the container,” he says.
The right thing, of course, can be drastically different depending on your point of view.
“I can understand that people are afraid that the name will go to a porn site. Personally, I think that the short-term gains of this would be outweighed by the damage to the domain and adult industry. I can think of a number of ways to make a decent amount of money from the domain name without sending it to adult content,” Phil says.
“Really, these people that are very worried about the name going to porn should sit down and think for a minute. Is porn really that bad? In bad taste for the name, maybe, but personally, if I were Catholic, I would be much more worried about someone taking the name and sending it to a site like PlannedParenthood.com—somewhere that challenges them and isn’t an instant ‘Oh my God, it’s a fucking porn site’ is much more devastating than some nipples and snatch.”
If the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Catholics being redirected to your site is making you salivate, don’t fret. Phil’s PopeBenedictXVI.com will likely be back up for sale. Phil says he believes the initial buyer will prove to be a fake.
