Excerpt:
The press room podium in the European Union's headquarters is usually the domain of men in conservatively cut dark suits.
Last week however, the stage was a profusion of flowing robes, broad-brimmed fedoras, gleaming gold chains, turbans, ecclesiastical dog collars and a shimmering blue-grey sari, as the EU's leadership sought to take the continent's spiritual pulse at their annual meeting with religious representatives.
With its popularity battered in the midst of the economic crisis, the EU was seeking some solace and support.