Mother Teresa will be formally canonized on Sept. 4 by Pope Francis in Rome. Widely known as “the Saint of Calcutta,” she founded religious orders of women and men that serve the poor in more than 130 countries. Even for a woman who is an icon of modern saintliness, the Roman Catholic Church requires that someone must gather evidence of miracles and present a case that she is worthy to be admitted to the pantheon of saints.

Source: How a Priest Made the Case for Mother...

DIVIDE BETWEEN METHODISTS OVER GAY RIGHTS ISSUE WIDENS AS PRO-GAY RIGHTS MEMBERS PROTEST AGAINST CHURCH’S DECISION TO REMOVE A LESBIAN PASTOR FROM HER POSITION. The Methodist Church is facing turbulent times with members getting divided into two factions: those who support gay rights and those who do not. Though Christianity has teachings that conflict with the rights of homosexuals, the Methodist church has been increasingly becoming more and more lenient towards the LGBT community. This chasm between supporters and non-supporters became clear in the aftermath of Reverend...

I am not worried about the future of the Jewish people. We spend our time, our brainpower and a significant amount of money attempting to solve the problem of Jewish continuity, but I am not concerned. Judaism moves, compels and speaks to a new generation of Jewish leaders.

Source: Millennial Jews Want To Shout ‘Black Lives Matter’ — As Jews - Opinion – Forward.com

Leaders of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups expressed dismay on Wednesday after Pope Francis said that schoolchildren are being taught they can choose their gender as part of what he called an “ideological colonization.”

Source: Pope Francis’ Remarks Disappoint Gay and Transgender Groups - The New York Times

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Following through on a pledge he made to a group of nuns last May, Pope Francis has established a special commission to study whether the Catholic Church should take the historic step of ordaining women as deacons.

Source: Pope Francis names panel to study ordaining women deacons - SpokaneFāVS

ST.-ÉTIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France — It was the first time since a childhood school trip that Anissa Latroche had set foot in a church.

Source: Muslims and Christians in French Town Pray Old Bonds Survive Priest’s Murder - The New York Times

KRAKOW, Poland — Pope Francis encouraged hundreds of thousands of young people at a global gathering of the faithful Sunday to “believe in a new humanity” that is stronger than evil and refuses to see borders as barriers.

Source: Pope to youth: Believe ‘in a new humanity’ | The Columbus Dispatch

WARSAW — When Pope Francis arrives in Poland this week to attend World Youth Day, one of the major events on the Catholic calendar, he will face a politically powerful church closely tied to the country’s new right-wing government. The church here carries a deep strain of social conservatism that does not always align with the pope’s more open and welcoming views.

Source: Pope Francis Will Encounter a Socially Conservative Church in Poland - The New York Times...

MINNEAPOLIS - Ramsey County dropped criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for failing to protect three boys from an abusive priest Wednesday and released documents that disclosed a social connection between that priest and former Archbishop John Nienstedt.

Source: Vatican emissary squashed Archbishop Nienstedt investigation, memo says | Lexington Herald-Leader

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is striking back at conservative critics of Pope Francis' landmark document on family life, ratcheting up its defense of the pope with new vigor as bishops begin implementing the document around the world.

Source: Vatican ratchets up defense of pope's family document

Representatives of the United Methodist Church have elected their first openly gay bishop, in defiance of church prohibitions on homosexuality.

Source: United Methodist Church Elects First Openly Gay Bishop, In Defiance Of Church Rules : The Two-Way : NPR

Dallas — The pews and pulpits of Dallas were full of people seeking hope Sunday after the slaying of five police officers. Of people exorcising their anger over the latest police shootings of young black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. Of people looking for some measure of kindness and unity in a country that suddenly seems in short supply of both.

Source: Dallas residents look to churches for hope and answers in wake of police deaths - WorldWide Religious News

For most of the country’s history, white Christian America—the cultural and political edifice built primarily by white Protestant Christians—set the tone for our national conversations and shaped American ideals. But today, many white Christian Americans feel profoundly anxious as their numbers and influence are waning. The two primary branches of their family tree, white mainline and white evangelical Protestants, offer competing narratives about their decline. White mainline Protestants blame evangelical Protestants for turning off the younger generation with their anti-gay...

DALLAS — Fearful that the nation is locked in a spiral of violence and discord, many Americans took what refuge they could in church on Sunday. In tiny storefronts and suburban megachurches, worshipers mourned the deaths of five Dallas police officers at the hands of an African-American sniper who was aiming to kill white officers at a demonstration against police violence. They also grieved for two African-American men killed in shootings by the police in Baton Rouge, La., and Minnesota.

Source: ...

Looking back, he sees how God used one horrific murder to help him pastor an entire church grieving nine killed within their own sacred walls.

Source: New Emanuel AME Church pastor stresses servanthood - Post and Courier