Loving God, may thy Name be blest for the witness of Ini Kopuria, police officer and founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, whose members saved many American pilots in a time of war, and who continue to minister courageously to the islanders of Melanesia. Open our eyes that we, with these Anglican brothers, may establish peace and hope in service to others, for the sake of Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

To God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to God the Holy Ghost, who sheddeth the love of God abroad in our hearts: to the one true God be all love and all glory for time and for eternity.

Behold, what I have seen to be good and to be fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life which God has given him, for this is his lot. Every man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

–Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Christ’s lordship is good because of what Christ as Lord rescues us from; because of all that follows from being under Christ’s rule and care. It matters whose kingdom you belong to. The lordship of Christ delivers us from death’s rival claim (Romans 14.8-9; 1 Corinthians 15.15-26).

That  idea of a lord as protector may not speak so directly to us today, but it is central to the theology of the New Testament. As Karl Barth wrote, it belongs to “divine mercy” for us to have Christ as Lord, and in that way to be delivered “from all other lordships”. Not for nothing does a famous passage from Romans end its list of vanquished impediments to life in God with invocation of Christ as Lord: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8.38-39).

The cost of confessing allegiance to “one Lord” was not lost on early Christians. Martyrs, burned alive or sent to the lions, demonstrated the consequences of belonging to only one lord, when that lord was not Caesar. The benefits, however, were not lost on them: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1.13-14).

Read it all.

“Working through the Creed, clause by clause, we find that every line of it turns out to be good news.”

In the first part of a new occasional series, @@AP_Davison encourages believers to look for the good news in every clause of their profession of faith https://t.co/ySN2ZORMtg

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) April 26, 2026

The new encyclical comes as the culmination of various articles during recent weeks about AI’s implications for religion. Here’s a sampling of materials to consider alongside Leo’s magnum opus. 

Ross Douthat, author of the 2025 classic “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious,” wrote in his May 10 New York Times column that A.I., with its virtual “machine God,” poses the most fundamental questions about our human identity, consciousness, will, and reason. He sees three possible responses.

For many, A.I. is “a win for atheism and a blow against religious ideas of soul and spirit,” with our minds seen as “just computers.” Others think religion is enhanced when the mystery of our personal consciousness becomes more profound and humanity more exceptional. A third attitude is simply becoming more uncertain about everything. 

A March 26 report from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University suggests AI and robotics may be a factor in the 21st-century decline in religious affiliation. These scholars observe that “historically, people have deferred to supernatural agents and religious professionals to solve instrumental problems beyond the scope of human ability” that now “may seem more solvable” through technology. 

Then this unsettling phenomenon. As Religion Unplugged reported on May 21, a Barna Group poll found that 30% of adults, and 34% of practicing Christians, agree “strongly” or “somewhat” that “spiritual advice from artificial intelligence is just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor,” a confidence that reaches 44% with the “Millennial” generation. Naturally, clergy members are far more skeptical. 

Read it all.

C.S. Lewis predicted AI in That Hideous Strength. N.I.C.E., that’s AI. Fans know what I’m talking about.

AI’s problem is not going to be its inability to do anything, but that it ruins everything. It creates a cultural problem. It sterilizes everything and makes nothing… pic.twitter.com/AIelvWRgdf

— Jeremy Wayne Tate (@JeremyTate41) February 16, 2026

A crucial turning point in your life came when you encountered a Nobel Prize winner as an undergraduate student. Tell us that story. 

I always played Socrates, and still do, asking people questions. So I plunged in and asked this person about the research that he’d done to win the Nobel Prize. Then I said: “Did it ever occur to you when you discovered the intricacies of these processes that there was a mind behind the universe?” He stiffened and said: “No.” The conversation finished – he wasn’t going there. But at the end of the meal, he said: “Lennox, come to my room,” which was not an invitation, but a command. 

To my surprise, he’d invited several other senior people. He sat me down and said: “If you want a career in science, you need to give up this naive faith in God, because it will cripple you intellectually. You’ll never make it. So, give it up now, in front of witnesses.” It was an enormous pressure.

I said: “Tell me, what have you to offer me that’s better than what I have in Christ?” He said: “There’s the philosophy of Henri Bergson.” It was a very bad choice, because Bergson actually thought of converting to Catholicism at one stage. I said: “If that’s all you’ve got, I’ll take the risk. I’ll stay with Christ.” I got up and walked out. 

That moment changed many things for me. It taught me a lot about the unacceptable face of academia and the misuse of authority. I made up my mind that if ever I got to the kind of position I’m in today, as a professor at Oxford, I would never use my position to abuse anybody intellectually. And it did occur to me that if he’d been a Christian and I’d been an atheist, he’d probably have lost his job for doing what he did – such is the non-level playing field.

I resolved, as best as I could, to put arguments for God and Christ into the public space, give them the evidence and let people judge for themselves. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the rest of my life. I suppose it was a preparation for meeting lesser intellects, like that of Richard Dawkins.

Read it all.

Here's my interview with the brilliant Christian apologist @ProfJohnLennox, recorded at his house just outside of Oxford https://t.co/rzareCsBEi

— Sam Hailes (@samhailes) June 5, 2026

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) today unanimously approved a final version of a new Episcopal Election Customary, completing a significant effort to strengthen the discernment, vetting, and election of bishops across the Province.

The Episcopal Election Customary establishes a consistent framework for episcopal elections across the Province while preserving the historic authority of dioceses to elect their own bishops. The Customary outlines expectations and procedures for dioceses, standing committees, search committees, and provincial leaders, providing greater clarity throughout the discernment and election process.

The Customary was developed through an extensive process of consultation, discussion, and refinement among bishops and church leaders from across the Province. The resulting framework will ensure that candidates for episcopal office complete a robust review process and are subject to thorough vetting and background checks while maintaining the appropriate balance between provincial oversight and diocesan authority.

The Customary, which takes immediate effect, follows commitments made by the College of Bishops in January 2026 to strengthen the processes surrounding episcopal elections, to promote healthy leadership throughout the Church, and inspire greater confidence in the ACNA’s systems of accountability and oversight.

Read it all.

ACNA College of Bishops Unanimously Approves Episcopal Election Customary https://t.co/36Krz7y1q3 'The Customary, which takes immediate effect, follows commitments made by the College of Bishops in January 2026 to strengthen the processes surrounding episcopal elections, to… pic.twitter.com/IrbhecPBuR

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 5, 2026

Almighty God, who didst call thy faithful servant Boniface to be a witness and martyr in the lands of Germany and Friesland, and by his labor and suffering didst raise up a people for thine own possession: Pour forth thy Holy Spirit upon thy Church in every land, that by the service and sacrifice of many thy holy Name may be glorified and thy kingdom enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today is the Feast of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr.

Born in Crediton, Devon, he went on to lay the foundations of the Church in Europe.

My home parish is dedicated to him and we celebrate our Patronal this Sunday. pic.twitter.com/wHxpzBe4fZ

— Ninefold Kyrie (@Gda1238) June 5, 2026

O God, who hast made thyself known to us as Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, in order that we may be informed of thy love and thy majesty: Mercifully grant that we may not be terrified by what thou hast revealed of thy majesty, nor tempted to trespass upon thy mercy by what we know of thy love for us; but that by the power of thy Spirit we may be forever drawn to thee in true adoration and worship; who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

Happy Friday all. I'm working at the hospital again this pm so looking forward to that and pushing patients around:) pic.twitter.com/Io8L6LRy7F

— David (@Disc_light) June 5, 2026

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake; why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase, empty words grow many: but do you fear God.

–Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Good morning from
Vienna 💙🎵
Happy Friday🌼🌊
Schönen Freitag!#Donaukanal pic.twitter.com/yYwWXdPiUA

— Elfie Neuberger (@ElfieNeuberger) June 5, 2026

the regulation of new funerary methods — including “water cremations” and human composting — has been recommended by the Law Commission of England and Wales.

The independent statutory body, set up to keep the law under review and to make recommendations to the Government, published on Thursday a report on reforming new funerary methods. It was preceded by a consultation paper, published last June, which received 124 responses from faith communities, funeral directors, local authorities, industry bodies, and members of the public.

Currently, the law in England and Wales recognises only burial, cremation, and, though less common, burial at sea. New funerary methods are alternatives to these, such as alkaline hydrolysis (sometimes known as “water cremation”) and human composting, which are not currently covered by any specific legal framework, but which are available in certain other jurisdictions. In Scotland, for example, regulations have recently been made enabling the use of alkaline hydrolysis.

Read it all.

The regulation of new funerary methods — including “water cremations” and human composting — has been recommended by the #LawCommission of England and Wales#funerarymethods #watercremations #humancomposting #churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/nnqdTBvWWF

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 4, 2026

A new style of architecture is rising in the sprawling suburbs of the Sonoran Desert: windowless data centers that hum 24 hours a day and guzzle as much electricity as a midsize city.

As Microsoft and other tech giants expand their footprints in one of the nation’s largest data-center markets, a high-stakes battle is unfolding over how to pay for the massive power-grid upgrades needed to drive the AI revolution. 

Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest utility, sits at the center of the firestorm. APS is proposing a 45% electricity-rate increase for “extra-large energy users,” primarily data centers, and a roughly 14.5% increase for residential customers.

Nearly everyone is unhappy.

Consumer advocates warn the plan would shift the financial risks of the AI build-out to households already struggling with high summer electricity bills and temperatures that often hit triple digits. If the AI boom fizzles or the energy consumption of data centers wanes, they worry residents could be left paying off the infrastructure upgrades years from now.

Read it all.

Phoenix Is a Data-Center Mecca—and Test Case for How to Pay for AI’s Power Needs
State’s largest utility is proposing a 45% electricity-rate increase for data centers and a 14.5% hike for households. No one is happy.https://t.co/m1xMQtoJsq

— Giovanni Staunovo🛢 (@staunovo) June 4, 2026

Something new is stirring on the left. A fresh crop of socialists want to remake the economy with price controls, hefty wealth taxes and a spree of nationalisations. Supercharged by fury over Gaza, they are winning voters at a formidable pace. Many rose to prominence only recently, like Zack Polanski, who leads the Green Party in Britain, or Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York. Others are long-standing political fixtures: the septuagenarian Jean-Luc Mélenchon is on his fourth swing at the French presidency, but thumping support from the 20-somethings of “Generation Z” has put the Elysée back in his sights again.

Call it Gen-Z socialism. Not because all its adherents are young—or because it is new for young people to lean leftward—but because it is the brand of leftism, made for the TikTok era, that today’s young revolutionaries support.

Forget weighty collectivist ideals or seizing the means of production. Gen-Z socialism is a me-first doctrine. Climate change and race, preoccupations of the 2010s and early 2020s, are now much more peripheral concerns. So are social issues, barring Gaza. Angst about inflation, housing and artificial intelligence have replaced all that with something cruder. “This country is awash in wealth,” says Avi Lewis, freshly elected leader of the New Democratic Party in Canada, a country where productivity has been all but flat for a decade. “We can have nice things.” Saying that prices should be capped to keep your bills down while someone else pays for your public services is a seductive, shareable message.

Read it all.

Gen-Z socialism is wrong about how to fix the problems of capitalism. It must be resisted, because it is a profound threat to prosperity https://t.co/6n1i5xrJV2

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) June 4, 2026

He was a 10-year-old Malawian boy, born in a rural community like so many in sub-Saharan Africa. His family made the journey to Nkhoma Mission Hospital, a hospital in the Lilongwe district, after he began having difficulty breathing. An exam and ultrasound of his heart revealed he was in severe heart failure.

While the team was discussing treatment, his heart suddenly stopped beating. In most African hospitals, that would have been the end of the story. The boy would have died.

But the clinicians at Nkhoma Hospital wouldn’t accept that. Years of investment to raise their standard of care paid off in that moment. Oxygen was ready at the patient’s bedside, along with a defibrillator to shock his heart back into rhythm. Competent ICU nurses and physicians, trained in critical care at a partner hospital in Kenya, were prepared to leap into action. They knew the protocol, acted quickly—and it worked. After the first shock, the boy’s heart started beating again.

An echocardiogram machine provided by donors a year earlier allowed doctors to look inside his failing heart, understand what was happening, and make appropriate treatment decisions. Over the next several days, his heart function began to recover.

Read it all.

In a cultural moment deeply suspicious of institutions, African mission hospitals prove their value for kingdom work.https://t.co/pJ9nUONBYV

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) June 2, 2026

Lord of all truth and peace, who didst raise up thy bishop John to be servant of the servants of God and bestowed on him wisdom to call for the work of renewing your Church: Grant that, following his example, we may reach out to other Christians to clasp them with the love of your Son, and labor throughout the nations of the world to kindle a desire for justice and peace; through Jesus Christ, who is alive and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

3 June 1963: Pope John XXIII dies at age 81. He was #pope from October 28, 1958 until his death in 1963. He was canonized on April 27, 2014. Pope Francis declared him a saint on July 5, 2013, without the traditional second miracle that was generally required. #History #OTD #ad… pic.twitter.com/w55NvgPSec

— Today In History (@URDailyHistory) June 4, 2026

Keep us, O Lord, from the vain strife of words, and grant us a constant profession of our faith.  Preserve us in the way of truth, so that we may ever hold fast that which we professed when we were baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and may give glory to thee, our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, now and for evermore.

A early morning fishing boat leaves a light trail as it departs Whitby on the Yorkshire coast a while back. pic.twitter.com/YTBDsp1KLw

— Andrew McCaren 📷 (@AndrewMcCaren1) June 4, 2026

Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men that God is testing them to show them that they are but beasts. For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should enjoy his work, for that is his lot; who can bring him to see what will be after him?

–Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

Protège ton jardin secret comme un trésor, c'est là que poussent les fleurs.
Josiane Coeijmans#Jeudiphoto 💕 pic.twitter.com/4dAkHL5eNK

— valentina (@var223) June 4, 2026

[Mr Funmi Ojetayo’s] professional experience includes senior legal positions with Florida A&M University, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Department of Management Services. As Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Management Services, he led the agency’s litigation function and provided counsel on significant legal matters. He currently serves as a Partner at Allen, Norton & Blue, P.A., in Tallahassee, Florida, where his practice focuses on labor and employment litigation and appellate advocacy.

In addition to his legal training, Mr. Ojetayo holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He completed his pastoral residency at Incarnation Anglican Church in Tallahassee in 2022 and currently serves as Discipleship Pastor at Four Oaks Church East.

While under consideration for the appointment, Mr. Ojetayo disclosed that he has a brother who serves as a rector within Bishop Julian Dobbs’ diocese. As Mr. Ojetayo has no personal involvement in the matters under review, and his appointment is based on his professional qualifications and experience, the province deemed this not to be a conflict of interest.  

Read it all.

https://t.co/NzE22DL2Qe

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) June 3, 2026

Success had hinged on the churchwarden at the time — Nigel Boldero, an “absolute force of nature” with a background in project delivery, Mr Whitehead said. There was now a “greater expectation of professionalism” from the Lottery, he said, which could pose challenges — given skills shortages in some areas.

Mr Whitehead said that the Community Changemarkers conference had conveyed “a real sense of optimism, of hope”. He continued: “I feel really strongly that there is value in the small, value in these rural places, which might not be measurable in terms of numbers of people in church on a Sunday, but is measurable in the depth of commitment people have to tending their churchyards, to giving money to restoring the tower or the clock, or whatever it might be.”

There was, he said, a tendency to look down on, or make fun of, the rural. “We get Dibleyfied, basically,” he said. “I think there is life in the rural church, and I think, where you can find it and you can spread it, that that kind of thing is infectious.”

Read it all.

The hundred visitors who descended on St Peter’s, Haveringland, in Norfolk, last month were far more than it usually has in a day. It is known locally as “the church in the fields” and stands in isolation on a former Second World War airfield #ruralchurchhttps://t.co/SL4mjEQ6xa

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 3, 2026

doniram and Ann Judson were among the first formally commissioned American missionaries. Arriving in Burma (today’s Myanmar) in 1813, the Judsons labored for six years before they saw anyone convert to Christianity. Determined and diligent, they made extraordinary progress in learning native languages. Then, 11 years into their Burmese ministry, the Judsons’ world collapsed.

In 1824, long-simmering tensions between the British Empire and the Burmese king exploded in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). The Judsons themselves sometimes had a difficult relationship with British authorities in South Asia. But in 1824, all English speakers in Burma fell under suspicion as possible spies. Judson knew plenty of British diplomats and merchants, but he was no spy.

Burmese authorities did not believe him. On June 8, 1824, police in the royal city of Ava arrested Judson, marched him to a judge, and convicted him without a trial. The Burmese committed him to the “death prison,” a small, dank building with about a hundred prisoners. The death prison had little ventilation and teemed with rats, roaches, and rotten smells.

During the day the prisoners languished in chains, but at night their captors devised additional means of preventing escape. These measures amounted to unremitting torture. Jailers passed a long bamboo stick between Judson’s legs and those of a lineup of prisoners. They chained the prisoners’ legs to the pole and lifted their bodies in the air, while the men’s shoulders remained on the ground. They left them in that excruciating position all night. Ann frantically sought to secure Judson’s release, but he remained in prison for 17 months.

Read it all.

Two centuries ago in Burma, Adoniram Judson modeled evangelistic zeal and missionary resilience.

From @ThomasSKidd: https://t.co/ugSZVHIS4Y

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) June 1, 2026

We have a vaccine that prevents shingles. We have a vaccine that markedly lowers the risk of dementia. We have a vaccine that might even slow aging itself.

Conveniently, these three vaccines are actually just one: the shingles vaccine.

In 2006, the FDA approved the vaccine Zostavax for adults aged 60 and older. For people previously infected with varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, the infection actually doesn’t end. The sneaky virus lies dormant in nerve tissue and can subsequently spring to life to cause shingles. Zostavax, and its more effective replacement, Shingrix, train your immune system to fight varicella-zoster in case it emerges from hiding to attempt a bodily coup.  

That’s a good thing because you really, really don’t want shingles. About 1 in 3 Americans will get it at some point. Its signature symptoms are a bubbly, blistering rash that traces the infected nerve, coupled with debilitating pain that’s been the subject of many painful-to-read Reddit posts. Sufferers use words and phrases such as “unrelenting,” “white hot,” and “I wish I could rip my arm out!”

So if you’ve had chickenpox in the past, it’s definitely worth your while to get vaccinated. The CDC actually recommends the shot for all adults aged 50 and older and all adults aged 19 and older who have weakened immune systems – because oftentimes you can be infected with varicella-zoster virus even if you’ve never developed chickenpox.

Read it all.

"We have a vaccine that prevents shingles, a vaccine that markedly lowers the risk of dementia, and a vaccine that might even slow aging itself. Conveniently, these three vaccines are actually just one: the shingles vaccine. But fewer than half of eligible Americans have received…

— James Pethokoukis ⏩️⤴️ (@JimPethokoukis) June 2, 2026

O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before thee the blessed martyrs of Uganda, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even unto death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

3 June 1886, 32 young men, pages in the court of Bugandan King, burned to death at #Namugongo. As Christians, they refused king’s homosexual advances & demand to renounce faith. Led to many coming to faith: the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. #Uganda #martyrsday pic.twitter.com/K8ljxhlATB

— Revd Nicholas Pye (@RevdPye) June 3, 2026

Lord God Almighty, who hast given to us the vision of thy holiness, and therewith of our unworthiness to be thy witnesses: Touch, we pray thee, our lips with thy cleansing fire; that so cleansed and hallowed, we may go forth amongst men as those whom thou hast sent; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

“It seemed to them that they did little but eat and drink and rest, and walk among the trees; and it was enough.”

– Tolkien, LOTR pic.twitter.com/POM3XZfFGh

— The Wonder of Tolkien (@TolkienWonder) June 3, 2026

But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified[a] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

–Galatians 2:11-21

The NBA Finals have Wemby. 👽

America's public lands have these giants. 🌲 pic.twitter.com/EEdY4NYU4h

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) June 4, 2026

The dignity of retired clergy demands a “transformed mindset” among the Church’s leaders, the Retired Clergy Association has told the Clergy Retirement Dignity and Fairness Review (News, 1 May).

“An increase in pensions or the lump sum will not compensate for disparaging our members, nor is it likely to be achieved without a transformed mindset that accords them a dignified value,” the eight-page submission stated.

While drawing attention to the financial precariousness of some retired clergy — some of whom spend more than two-thirds or more of their income on church retirement housing — it raised concerns about wider attitudes to its members.

Read it all.

Retired Clergy Association tells fairness & dignity review that many dioceses depended on retired clergy to cover weekly services and calls for a "transformed mindset" in the Church in terms of how they are treated https://t.co/PvJgnEnmRO

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) May 31, 2026

Months ago, doctors in Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo started seeing patients with the vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding that are the hallmarks of Ebola. The tests kept coming back negative.

It was weeks before samples from sick people — many of whom had already died — made it to the National Institute of Biomedical Research in the capital, Kinshasa. There, researchers used a different test that screened for more species of Ebola and related viruses.

They finally identified the culprit: a species of Ebola significantly different from the one the original test could detect. But by then, the outbreak had seeded across the border into Uganda and become a full-blown public health emergency.

As health workers battle a devastating virus that has killed at least 49 people and infected 452 more so far, they have been hampered by a chronic lack of investment in high-quality tests for clinicians facing pathogens that surface in the most marginalized places.

Read it all.

NYT: Only the Right Tests Can Stop This Ebola Outbreak. Congo Has Hardly Any.

By Stephanie Nolen @nytimes https://t.co/NcMGgl4hnX gift link pic.twitter.com/jjafVf7W51

— Greg Folkers 🇺🇦☮️🇺🇸 (@greg_folkers) June 2, 2026

ust 16% of U.S. adults and 12% Canadian adults are financially fulfilled, according to analysis of the inaugural Edward Jones and Gallup Money and Meaning: Understanding Financial Fulfillment study. Financial fulfillment is a state where people’s personal finances support the life they want to have.

In contrast, 32% of U.S. adults and 41% of Canadian adults experience consistent financial stress, characterized by straining to meet obligations, needing to make trade-offs between financial and life goals, and feeling they lack control over their financial situation. The largest share in each country, described as “financially conflicted,” experience some progress but still contend with ongoing financial strain.

These findings are based on web interviews conducted March 20-April 6, 2026, with 5,075 U.S. adults aged 21 and older who are members of the probability-based Gallup Panel and March 25-April 3 with 2,117 Canadian adults aged 21 and older from a nonprobability online panel. Both samples were weighted to represent the adult population in each country on key demographic characteristics.

The financial fulfillment measure is derived from a statistical analysis of 37 items that measure financial wellbeing, the emotional aspects of financial life, and how closely financial decisions align with people’s values.

Read it all.

Half of U.S. adults (51%) are financially conflicted — not in crisis, yet lacking financial security.

New research from Edward Jones and Gallup shows how finances affect people’s health, relationships and confidence in their future. Representing 133 million Americans, the… pic.twitter.com/3GEhhJK3zp

— Gallup (@Gallup) June 2, 2026

‘The Iranian regime, which ISW-CTP continues to assess is dominated by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi and his inner circle, suspended US-Iran negotiations on June 1. Vahidi and his inner circle likely calculate that the status quo, in which Iran has neither made concessions to the United States in a diplomatic agreement nor is engaged in a full-scale conflict with the United States, is a favorable situation that advances their objectives. IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency announced on June 1 that the regime has suspended negotiations, ostensibly in response to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon…

The Iranian regime has likely focused on the Lebanon issue, as opposed to another key sticking point in negotiations, to try to curb Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of the regime’s broader objective to preserve Hezbollah. The regime also likely seeks to drive a wedge between the United States and Israel by falsely blaming Israel and its operations in Lebanon for the collapse of the US-Iran talks. Vahidi and his inner circle also likely calculate that the status quo will help them advance several other objectives, such as solidifying Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the Iranian nuclear program.’

Read it all.

Iran and the IRGC "likely calculate that the status quo, in which Iran has neither made concessions to the United States in a diplomatic agreement nor is engaged in a full-scale conflict with the United States, is a favorable situation that advances their objectives." https://t.co/OcS9bEjAIh

— Ashley 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@NAFOteacher) June 2, 2026

Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we who keep the feast of the holy martyrs Blandina and her companions may be rooted and grounded in love of thee, and may endure the sufferings of this life for the glory that shall be revealed in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

SANTA BLANDINA, MARTIR DE LYON – 2 DE JUNIO

"Nunca hemos visto sufrir tanto a una mujer" Blandina era esclava, lo cual significaba que no tenía existencia social https://t.co/0InjXhl1Xp pic.twitter.com/p7kGnEYd16

— Primeros Cristianos (@1osCristianos) June 1, 2026

Almighty God, most blessed and most holy, before the brightness of whose presence the angels veil their faces: With lowly reverence and adoring love we acknowledge thine infinite glory, and worship thee, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal Trinity.  Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto our God, for ever and ever.

Watch a sunrise unfold before your eyes once in a while. pic.twitter.com/8Y3CDYLVAV

— Kristin Mae Photography (@Kristin_Mae) June 2, 2026