Weekly Outlook - Why the monogamy overture was referred

Dear readers, It's been an eventful start to GA227, with committee work happening from Monday to Wednesday this week. Committee recommendations go to the assembly plenary meetings, which begin on Sunday and run through Thursday, July 2.  A lot has happened — more than I can cover in a single email — but a couple of themes are emerging for this editor. The first is a cross-committee response to the 2025 closure of Global Mission. Another is how the denomination continues to negotiate our new organizational reality of a unified agency, notably responding by recommending limits to the agency's power. Lastly, there have been a couple key moments of advancing protections for LGBTQIA folks. Read about these themes and more below — and sign up for our free text updates to get links to breaking stories.  Peace, Rose Schrott Taylor Digital Content Editor Presbyterian Outlook

Documents contradict PL&W testimony on covenant given to terminated mission co-workers by Eric Ledermann   Constitution committee rejects call for special study of Olympia Overture amendments by Blake Brinegar The exhibit hall’s successor arrives at General Assembly by Greg Allen-Pickett PC(USA) overture on monogamy deemed out of order, referred for further study by Gregg Brekke   Committee moves to limit PL&W authority in revised Organization for Mission by John Bolt   Committee advances measure on LGBTQIA+ inclusion and transparency by Harriet Riley

In case you missed it... Committee advances sexual misconduct proposals, rejects ‘Book of Order’ terminology change The Gender and Sexuality Justice Committee approved a two-pronged approach: better understanding the scope of misconduct and strengthening support for survivors. — Harriet Riley Theo of Golden Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on Allen Levi’s "Theo of Golden," a novel that reveals God’s love, grace, and the beauty of the divine image in the worn and ordinary faces around us. Climate and Environmental Justice Committee votes to go further on fossil fuel divestment Majority favors stepping away from such companies by 2030. — Darla Carter In marathon second day, ordination committee approves 8 of 10 recommendations from Ordination Task Force Approvals included a vote reversal on a controversial ordination exam alternative. — Layton Williams Berkes What happens after clergy sexual misconduct? Drawing on his experience serving a congregation after a pastor's sexual misconduct, Joel Moody argues that CON-06 would establish clearer expectations for restoration, strengthen accountability and ensure survivors' voices are heard. GA committees begin work on agency oversight, ecumenical relations and investment policies The first day of committee meetings focused largely on the denomination's new agency structure, while commissioners also advanced full-communion discussions and considered changes to investment policy. — John Bolt Making the most of Milwaukee: An all-in-one guide We've rounded up the best spots to eat, drink and explore in Milwaukee. — Caroline Garcia

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WCC NEWS: Archbishop of Canterbury takes pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has taken a five-day pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Most Rev. Hosam Naoum. Photo: A Krogmann 25 June 2026 The visit is a joint pilgrimage of prayer and solidarity—meeting and praying with Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and Israel. The pilgrimage has included travels to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Birzeit; meetings with church leaders, lay people, and congregations in churches across the region; and visits to holy sites in Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. The Archbishop of Canterbury also met with several patriarchs and heads of churches, and heard about the challenges and opportunities currently facing them in their ministry. “I bring with me the prayers and solidarity of the Church of England and Anglican Communion – and the assurance that Christians in Palestine and Israel are not forgotten,” she said.  Naoum said: “As we travel together from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land, following the path of our Lord’s earthly ministry, we are reminded of our shared calling to be instruments of his peace and reconciliation.” The Archbishop of Canterbury met with 26-year-old Layan Nasir, a Palestinian Anglican who who has spent three periods in Israeli administrative detention and prison over the last five years. Nasir, who is a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birzeit in the West Bank, was released from Israel’s Damon Prison in May.  The Archbishop of Canterbury offered prayers and listened to her experiences about her time in detention.  "I’m grateful to Layan’s family for their hospitality in their home. I will pray for them, and for God’s blessing and healing for Layan after the terrible ordeal of her incarceration,” she said. "I pray for the release of all people who have been unjustly imprisoned, here in Palestine and Israel and around the world.” Also in her pilgrimage, Archbishop Mullally delivered a sermon at St Peter’s Church in Birzeit, addressing the challenges faced by Palestinian Christians and the broader community. In her sermon, she told the congregation she would use her role as archbishop to seek “the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve.” Acknowledging that "faithfulness can be costly,” Archbishop Mullally lamented that 2,000 years after the birth of Christ "you are now facing so many barriers to practising your faith and living freely.” She continued, “And your faithful, hopeful resistance is also visible as fathers and mothers navigate the web of checkpoints daily to provide an income for their family, or to get their children to school to provide for their future, or as you gather to break bread together week by week in this church.”  During the final day of her pilgrimage—24 June—the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, and reflected on what the visits have meant.  “Over the past few days, I have had the privilege of making a pilgrimage through this land. Pilgrimage is, of course, a journey through places,” she said. “But it is also a journey of the heart and mind. It is an exercise in listening: listening to God, listening to one another, and allowing ourselves to be changed by what we hear and encounter.” See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

RNS Morning Report - Vatican says no to women preaching

Vatican says no to women preaching   Early on, Pope Leo XIV signaled support for women’s leadership in the Catholic Church, but a new Vatican decision released on Tuesday (June 23) barring laypeople, including women, from preaching the homily at Mass is testing how far that openness is likely to go.   RNS Vatican Reporter Claire Giangravè reports that the Vatican’s decision suggests Rome’s promises of greater lay and female participation, emphasized during the global Synod on Synodality, still have firm limits when it comes to the liturgy and ordained ministry.   “What this clarification really reveals is the extent to which the Vatican will go to try to stop the Holy Spirit,” the executive director of the U.S.-based advocacy group for women’s ordination and gender equality in the church, Kate McElwee, told Giangravè, adding that it “doubles down on exclusion instead of listening to the needs of Catholics today.”         Top Stories Vatican blocks women’s homilies, testing Leo’s view of women in church VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A Vatican ruling that bars laypeople, including women, from preaching the homily at Mass is testing the limits of Pope Leo XIV’s early signals of openness to women’s leadership in the Catholic Church. Pastor Saeed Abedini, former political prisoner in Iran, accused of abducting daughter (RNS) — The evangelical pastor says he feared for his daughter’s safety. The girl’s mother claims the pastor took the child without permission and is fleeing a criminal investigation. Feeling alienated from queer and Sephardic spaces, LGBTQ Jews build their own communities (RNS) — Through egalitarian prayer spaces, Shabbat dinners and advocacy, Sephardic and Mizrahi organizers are creating places where LGBTQ Jews can bring their full identities.  Who belongs in America? Five faith leaders on immigration, identity and America’s 250th (RNS) A new five-part video series by RNS asks prominent faith leaders and thinkers to weigh in on the questions at the heart of the American experiment. As Ebola spreads in war-torn eastern Congo, faith leaders adapt   (RNS) — As conflict and a deadly Ebola outbreak compound suffering in eastern Congo, pastors and church leaders are adapting worship, pastoral care and funeral traditions while helping communities navigate fear and misinformation.  Photos of the Week: Muharram, mud festival (RNS) — This week’s photo selection includes Muharram observances, an annual mud festival in the Philippines and more. Opinion In JD Vance’s faith memoir, the most telling words are ‘My Way’ (RNS) — Vance seems to feel personally responsible for preventing anything from challenging his civilization or changing the church. Is it time to retire the term ‘Zionism’? (RNS) — Zionism is the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. But is that all it means? Two Jewish thought leaders have it out. ICYMI How women pastors became public enemy No. 1 in the SBC (RNS) — Southern Baptists have long believed that only men can be pastors. But for decades, the denomination took no action to expel churches where women pastors served. Then, in the middle of an abuse controversy, it became a denominational crisis. Growing ‘goon’ violence against churches in Kenya worries clergy (RNS) — Critics of Kenyan President William Ruto accuse politicians in his administration of hiring and protecting thugs to attack and intimidate opponents. Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

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