I don't mean to make fun of the mendicant who sat right next to the entrance to the Cathedral in Evora, Portugal. Nor would I want to make light of the circumstances that lead to poverty. We gave money to the man as we walked in but I really didn't know if he was poor and disabled or if he was a college professor earning his summer income.One of the things that strikes me about the beggar is that there is no doubt a centuries old tradition of mendicants positioning themselves on these very steps and asking the wealthy for money and they walked by.