At long last Brother Veronica granted an interview to discuss her extraordinary appointment as the first women to head the monastery. She answered our questions with confidence and it became obvious that she was now in charge.
What was not known previously were the conditions that had to be agreed upon for her appointment to be approved. First she could only be addressed as Brother Veronica. She has to wear the traditional monk's uniform and when addressing her she must be referred to as Brother Veronica. She was allowed to keep the name Veronica in respect for her extraordinary pizza making skills that led to her appointment.
Since the controversy over the favoring of long haired monks over bald headed monks for choice work assignments (which led to the rejection of Brother Joseph as headmaster) caused such a furor with the monks and the selection committee, Brother Veronica chose to have her hair cut short as a sign of solidarity with the bald headed monks. This symbolic gesture did much to reduce the tension that still lingered over Brother Joseph's rejection as headmaster. Unlike Brother Joseph, Brother Veronica's gesture was not considered political grandstanding.
Most shocking of all was the revelation that her being a woman was never to be mentioned again. In effect the monastery has invoked a "don't ask, don't tell policy." We were advised that if we wish to keep our press credentials with the monastery the subject cannot come up again. We were also advised that from this point on the pronoun "she" could no longer be used when referring to Brother Veronica. We all respectfully agreed.
As the interview grew more relaxed, Brother Veronica became quite open in discussing her extraordinary appointment. Since his appointment directly from the kitchen staff bypassed the conventional process of being ordained a monk, we asked how this was received by the other monks. Apparently Giovanni and Franco played a major role in convincing everyone that he deserved the chance and argued his pizza miracles were a sign that could not be ignored. Both Giovanni and Franco worked with Brother Veronica in the kitchen and could vouch for him personally.
Finally the interview ended with the revelation that Franco went to Rome and gave first hand and convincing testimony that anyone who could make a Margarita Pizza like Brother Veronica had the blessing of Providence. Apparently, his testimony was convincing.
Brother Veronica agreed that in his next interview he would discuss the financial crisis the monastery is facing as well as the rumors that the monastery might be sold to an international conglomerate.