Religion News Service

In Laudate Deum, Francis commends the U.S. bishops for having "expressed very well" in a 2019 declaration the "social meaning of our concern about climate change." Yet U.S. bishops are better known for activism that focuses on voicing opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights efforts.

The Vatican has joined U.S. faith leaders and anti-death penalty activists in supporting the Louisiana governor's desire to clear the death row cells in his state.

During the synod Oct. 4-29, we will all need patience and humility as the delegates try to discern in what direction the Spirit is calling us to travel. It will take prayer, spiritual conversation and listening to hear the Spirit.

Too many U.S. Catholics don't know about the global discussion of the church's future, argues Phyllis Zagano.

The path of a pilgrim points to a future hope and reconciliation between God, man and creation. We must also take up the opportunity to partner with God in bringing "heaven to earth" through positive actions that restore creation and defend the most vulnerable from extreme climate harms.

In making cardinals, Francis has looked for bishops who are pastoral and close to the poor and marginalized. These men are firmly committed to the social teaching of the church, without necessarily being liberal on hot-button issues of concern to progressive Catholics in the West.

If we approach the climate crisis from the place of love, a spiritual perspective, a woman's perspective — a perspective that honors the Earth's body, its biodiversity and its own healing capacity — many more possibilities open up.

As a way of being church, synodality might be thought of as collegiality resurrected, but without all the baggage that encumbered collegiality over the years following Vatican II, writes Fr. Thomas Reese.

At the close of an inaugural summit on climate change hosted this week by the African Union and the government of Kenya, activists who had demanded more than carbon credits and other glossy solutions to deal with climate justice issues rejected the declaration issued Sept. 6 by the political and corporate leaders in attendance. 

If we continued as usual with just different people in charge, then we missed the revolution Pope Francis is calling for, says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

Why did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put razor wire and a floating barrier in the Rio Grande? Do migrant children not have heartbeats? 

Dealing with the climate crisis will require developing renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind power, decreasing greenhouse gases and creating more sustainable lifestyles. It also requires a change of heart.

Called to examine power structures in the Catholic Church, the Synod on Synodality will grapple in large part with the role of women.

The good news is there are ways to reduce and eliminate the growth in global warming; the bad news is I am not sure we will implement them fast enough.

Faith groups are teaming up with liberal secular organizations to combat white Christian nationalist ideology, which they say is a threat to democracy — and, for many, to their religion.

Fr. Thomas Reese: We are like frogs in a pot of water being slowly cooked as the temperature rises. We don’t have the sense to get out of the pot, let alone turn off the heat.

The Vatican response to financial scandal must not be one-off dealing with the symptoms. The deeply tangled tale of the current trial must be followed by systemic reform and effective oversight, writes Fr. Thomas Reese.

Deep in our hearts, we want God to beat up our enemies and punish evildoers. We want a God who gets mad and gets even. But that is not the God of Jesus, writes Fr. Thomas Reese.

"In the Lord’s prayer, we ask that his will be done on earth as in heaven. So how can we make the situation better?" asked Erin Haynes, who is leading the study.