Morning Briefing

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The top news of the day — perhaps this decade:

• President Donald Trump yesterday announced he was pulling the United States out of the landmark Paris Agreement, a first-of-its-kind international pact that commits countries to curbing climate change, an exit that Catholic leaders find 'deeply troubling.'
• NCR Editorial (from 2014): Climate change is church's No. 1 pro-life issue
• An another NCR Editorial (from December 2016): Raise your voice in defense of creation. "The climate," wrote Pope Francis in his encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," "is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all."
• There was been widespread international condemnation of Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
• But most world leaders reaffirmed their determination to fight against climate change, putting the Trump administration on the wrong side of world opinion.

When faced with questions about how to act and when, for Catholics, its usually a good idea to follow the lead of our women religions. What are they doing?

• Sisters to march in support of climate change solutions
• Dominican Sr. Pat Siemen explains Why I’m going to the People’s Climate March (from the Global Sisters Report archives).

Meanwhile, in other Catholic news around the world:

• Charlottetown, Canada — Bishop wants wants to put the 'Catholic' back into the Catholic Family Services Bureau. "If the board concludes they are non-denominational that was OK by me, provided they remove the name Catholic." But the bishop also said being non-denominational would also mean losing about $50,000 in funding.
• Jean-Marie Benoît Bala, the Roman Catholic bishop of Bafia in Cameroon, has reportedly committed suicide by drowning himself. His body had not been found by close of day Thursday June 1.
• The challenge of being both gay and Catholic: Eve Tushnet reviews Jesuit Fr. Jim Martin's new book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. (This review is a must read!)

And one last thought to leave you with:

• Here's why Doug Kmeic thinks President Trump should be placed on administrative leave. Kmeic, a professor of constitutional law at Pepperdine University, is a Republican who served as former President Barack Obama's first ambassador to Malta.

Start your day inspired with daily Scripture reflections. Join NCR's sister publication, Celebration, for Daily Bread, a series of short reflections written by four authors who meet regularly to share the readings.

Or reflect on Pencil Preaching by Pat Marrin. Every morning Pat Marrin breaks open the Word with a pencil sketch and a short meditation.