This is only a test...

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jun 08, 2005

Reuters is confused, I'm afraid:

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nine North American Catholic women will be ordained priests or deacons next month in what will amount to a test of Pope Benedict's determination to enforce the Vatican's ban on women's ordination.

Come, now: Is this a "test" for the Pope, or an eccentric fantasy played out by a small female cast? If I told you that my Uncle Harry has proclaimed himself the Holy Roman Emperor, would you conclude that Harry is testing the legitimacy of the European Union? Or that Harry is a garden-variety nutcase?

And a shrewd reporter might have noticed that there's more than a touch of loopiness in the story of the would-be priestesses. The evidence is there:

The July 25 ceremony will take place on a boat on the St. Lawrence River in a bid to be in international waters, the coordinator said on Tuesday, though the U.S.-Canadian border actually goes down the middle of the river.

What I want to know is why these women want to be in international waters, when intergalactic orbit would seem so much more appropriate.