UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe

It’s snowing today although it’s Spring so people are talking excitedly. But in a few days, the typical warmth of Spring will return and people will forget about it. This kind of reminds me of last week’s brief flurry around Pope Francis’ desire to form a commission to study women deacons in the early church. However, instead of blowing snow on a Spring day, it seemed to be a chinook wind bringing warmth in the deep of winter. It seemed a remarkably rapid thaw after about 1,200 years of winter. But, within days, the Vatican weather vane twisted again and the climate resume its typical frigidity.

I hope people are not too disappointed or disheartened. The pope’s statement contained weasel wording a la a marketing pitch. He merely said he wanted to study women deacons in the early church. He didn’t say he…