Religion News Service

Commentary: Like in "Apollo 13, " Ron Howard's new film "Thirteen Lives" shows how teamwork, ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking can solve seemingly impossible missions. With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we can begin to summon the same dogged determination on climate change.

News of the federal investigations comes several months after the nation's largest denomination passed new reforms aimed at addressing abuse.

An unauthorized church production of the hit musical caused an uproar among fans. "Are you telling me that no one involved in putting on this show asked the question, can we do this?" one commentator said.

Some adoptees are challenging the often-religious argument that adoption is a simple, sacred and mutually beneficial solution to abortion.

"If this is what the bishops are going to do, if this was their plan for a 'post-Roe' world, then Catholics are going to be very disappointed," said one observer of the Catholic hierarchy.

At The BTS Center, an outgrowth of a now-defunct United Church of Christ seminary, thinking about the spiritual sector's response to climate change is fueled by a common conviction: that the climate crisis is a spiritual crisis.

Thomas Reese: Pope Francis' six-day pastoral visit to Canada was a great success. It wasn't until the news conference on the plane back to Rome that it became clear he wasn't properly briefed for his visit.

Three years after the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, which contained the demand for an apology for residential schools, Francis rushed to canonize a man who perpetrated very similar harms.

Anglican bishops from all over the world began the Lambeth Conference this week amid a furious conflict over same-sex marriage and a scramble by the archbishop of Canterbury and other church leaders to defuse it.

The pope's visit showed his respect for Indigenous culture and its incorporation into church life and liturgy. This is as important to the Indigenous peoples of Canada as his apologies.

The uncomfortable truth isn't delivered on the new album through the moralistic grandstanding we might expect from someone assuming the mantle of prophet. Instead, the rapper's truth-telling comes via vulnerable — albeit sometimes problematic — storytelling.

Thomas Reese: Better guidelines for retired popes are needed. Pope Francis seems to be proceeding gently in that direction so as not to appear critical of his predecessor.

With Roe v. Wade overturned, new data from the Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute found that among Latino Catholics, 75% say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. That's a big jump from the 51% who said so in 2010.

Presbyterians have long had ties to the oil industry, as have many other faith groups in the United States. Leaders see this year's vote as a sign that addressing climate change is gaining momentum.

The crisp images of the cosmos delivered by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope this week serve as "food for the human spirit," said the head of the Vatican Observatory.

Susan Hendershot: By prioritizing the desires of polluters over the safety of the people, SCOTUS is showing a blatant disregard not only for those it supposedly serves, but also a disregard for God's beautiful creation.

Pope Francis' June 29 apostolic letter, Desiderio Desideravi, will be of little interest to the vast majority of Catholics who do not oppose the reforms, but need to be drawn deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist. 

Thomas Reese: Now that the bishops and other anti-abortion Catholics have won their fight against Roe, will they embrace a more consistent ethic of life? Will they live up to the extensive social justice agenda they espouse on paper?

Phyllis Zagano: The controversy will not end soon, but if the bishops address "invincible ignorance," there may be fewer Catholic politicians supporting laws allowing abortion.

From welcoming transgender women at the Vatican to promoting LGBTQ outreach around the world, some advocates say Pope Francis has created a space for inclusion without fear.