The veiling of women...

There ought to be a law?

I love Fr. Z - everyone who reads me knows that.  I do not comment on his blog because I'm not registered.  No I'm not afraid he wouldn't approve me - I was registered before and he approved me.  I just don't like to register over and over.  There is an advantage to that you know.  Yes, because I can make a post out of what would otherwise be a comment.  Smart, huh?  I did it earlier with Mark Shea and Henry.
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So anyway - Fr. Z has a pole poll up asking about mantillas on women in church.  Evidently a priest told a woman not to wear her veil while doing the readings for Mass and she asked Fr. Z about it.  Fr. Z felt the priest should not have said what he did - and I agree.  I honestly think that if a woman wants to wear a veil while doing the readings or leading the choir, she should be able to do so.  It is not any more a distraction than any woman doing the reading.  What if a nun in a traditional habit was up there?  Distracting?  See - that's just dumb.
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Anyway - back to Father's poll.  It seems to be mostly men who think women should wear a head covering in church - and so far 24% believe it should be a matter of canon law.  (But 28% think it should be on a voluntary basis.)   I came in at the end of the polling results after I voted: "I am male and NO. This custom should not return. (3%, 22 Votes)"
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I know no one here will be surprised by that.  Nevertheless, I don't think it is a big deal if a woman wants to wear a veil - it should be up to the woman to decide.  I'm so liberal, aren't I?
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Seriously, isn't it curious that so many men care about this?  I worked with a woman who suddenly purchased a mantilla.  I asked her what she was going to do with it.  She said she was going to wear it.  I asked "Why?"
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"My husband asked me to."
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Veiled men.
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On the other hand - sometimes men wear veils.  Greek Orthodox priests/monks do.  Middle eastern men do as well.  I found this photo of a Tuareg man wearing a veil with the following explanation:  Among the Berbers in North Africa and the Tuareq in West Africa, the women do not wear veils but the men do. The Tuareq men wear veils to protect from evil spirits (or desert sand in reality) and start to wear them at the age of 25. 
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Which reminds me, when I was in the monastery - a long time ago - one of the monks used to make nun's veils and would occasionally wear one himself.  True story.
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Anyway - Go on over and vote - spike Father's stats.