[Prudence]

I read an interesting bit from the AP yesterday on papal names and of course now I can't find it. By they argued that the name Pius would be the clear anti-Vatican II signal, while John would be a pro-VII signal. Another AP article describes the most recent Benedict thusly:

"He was chosen as a contrast with his predecessor Pius X, whose theological crackdown against "modernism" had roiled the church. His accession coincided with the start of World War I."

I wouldn't automatically assume that he intends the end of VII. Nor would I necessarily hold his Nazi-era dealings against him. If he was already in seminary then, my expectations would have been higher. If he was older my expectations would have been higher. But this is framed partly by my frustration that we seem to now require all our leaders to have lead exemplary lives from infancy -- no room for growth, experience, and character development. End derailment.

As for ordaining women -- Speaking as your future President, I'm all for female leaders. But I think that's too drastic a step for the Catholic Church to take and survive. Do I think it will get there eventually? I hope so. But rapid chance and Catholic Church are not phrases you commonly see used together.

My opinion is that first we'll see men who are already married allowed to become priests and stay married (as I believe already happens in Eastern Orthodox, but I'm not certain. I should probably look that up.) The next step would be to allow priests to become married and stay priests. And so forth.

I had more thoughts but I had to interrupt to do some actual work and now they're gone.