Knights Templar Posers Attempt $150 Billion Lawsuit

On the lighter side:

A group of people claiming to be the heirs of the legendary Knights Templar are suing Pope Benedict XVI, seeking more than $150 billion for assets seized by the Catholic Church seven centuries ago.

They also want to restore the order's good name. Founded in 1119, the Knights Templar was a secretive order of Christian warriors who protected pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem during the Crusades. They fell out of favor years later, and members were accused of denying Christ, worshipping the devil and practicing sodomy. Many Templars were tortured and burned at the stake.

In 1307, Pope Clement V accused the order of heresy and officially dissolved it.

Needless to say, it's impossible to prove you are a descendant of the Knights Templar, so this will be a rare instance where I have to side with the Vatican. A writer for London's Daily Telegraph captures the situation well, as she "calls the claim 'ludicrous' and says Spanish papers have suggested the issue is something for psychiatrists to decide rather than historians."