Religion News Service

Signs of the Times: When Jesuit Gonzaga High School looked into solar power, school officials discovered was that in D.C., public incentives for a building owner to go solar, even a nonprofit, are very strong.

As the U.S. bishops' conference is set to debate whether to deny the Eucharist to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, ordinary Catholics are considering what the sacrament does for them.

"Anything the Trump administration did must be wrong." This view is a guiding principle of many Democrats. The principle seems to apply even to a limit that Trump's 2017 tax laws put on a tax deduction for rich homeowners.

Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass for Myanmar Catholics in Rome May 16, underlining his efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in the Southeast Asian country, which has spiraled into violence after a military coup.

Millions need and deserve help these days. But there is a group that could also use — and certainly deserves — help that is rarely mentioned these days: clergy sexual abuse survivors.

On the eve of her removal from the House Republican leadership for failing to back President Donald Trump's attacks on the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney cited principles she insisted were foundational for many conservatives such as herself: the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law and faith.

When U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the White House would back efforts to suspend intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, it was a victory for Vatican officials and U.S. Catholic groups that had long supported loosening vaccine patents.

California's SB 379 would ensure that, moving forward, UC Health would only affiliate with hospitals that allow its staff to provide all necessary care, but the Catholic-affiliated Dignity Health is the largest hospital provider in the state.

Bishops have every right to challenge Catholic politicians on abortion. Deploying Communion as a bludgeon to selectively sanction elected officials on a single issue is not the answer. 

As some American bishops discuss the possibility of denying Communion to Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for supporting abortion-rights policies, a senior Vatican prelate said decisions about administering the sacrament rest solely on the bishop giving the Eucharist.

The ultraconservative website, which often features faith content, was removed for ‘repeatedly violating our COVID-19 policies,’ a Facebook spokesperson told RNS.

Commentary: Over the past decade in Christian theological circles, there's been an explosion of concern for nonhuman animals. Leading voices in animal ethics today — religious and secular — reject the idea that nonhuman animals are mere tools.

Signs of the Times: Will President Joe Biden be denied Communion by the U.S. bishops' conference because of his position on abortion? This is a stupid story for canonical, theological and political reasons.

Faith-based refugee resettlement groups are celebrating President Joe Biden's decision to raise the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. for the remainder of the federal fiscal year to 62,500, acknowledging they need to rebuild their capacity.

Commentary: Hindu Scripture extols the virtue of not killing animals for food. That virtue is also supported by science: Vegetarian diets are far better for preserving a healthy planet than are meat-heavy diets.

Signs of the Times: What the bishops haven't said on racial justice has kept them from being a more prophetic voice in American life. And the reluctance to take on racial issues has deep roots in Catholic history.

Appreciation: In the wilderness of my gang-involved teens, DMX was a voice unlike any other, piercing my defenses and opening me up to the work of God that would eventually convert me into a devoted follower of Jesus.

Signs of the Times: Removing American troops from Afghanistan is the right decision, one that conforms to the fundamental principle of the just war theory that you should not fight an unwinnable war.

A religious freedom watchdog is urging the State Department to name four additional countries to its list of the worst religious liberty offenders.

In an online message to grassroots community organizers on April 15, Pope Francis criticized a modern form of politician that he said "turns their back on the poor," and he laid out his vision for a "politics with a capital P."