We don’t venture very far into religion in this newspaper, surely for good reason. But coastal and island residents can take heart from one church-connected development this past month: the election of an oceanographer as presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church. Katharine Jefferts Schor has a PhD. in oceanography; she left the seas for the pulpit only a few years ago. Whatever her views on the controversial issues that trouble the Anglican communion today, it’s reassuring to think that someone with training in such a globally-critical discipline will be so influential. As the oceans rise in the coming years, we can hope at least that they will have a friend in an elevated place.