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Indigenous activists in eight Latin American countries can better defend their lands by using more professional and secure methods to collect data and evidence, thanks to a project by WACC partner PAKKIRU, the Kichwa Nation in the Pastaza region of Ecuador. The School of Communication...

The board of The United Methodist Church’s finance agency voted to give bishops a salary increase that starts at the beginning of this year.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern and sorrow over the tragic loss of civilian lives resulting from a recent drone strike in the town of Gedeb, Amhara region, Ethiopia. 

[Episcopal News Service] Hawai‘i Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, who also leads the Episcopal Church in Micronesia, announced April 25 his plans to resign in November 2026, and he has called for the election of his successor. Fitzpatrick is the diocese’s fifth bishop, and after stepping down, he said in a letter to the diocese, “I hope to live in the diocese for the rest of my life and to support my bishop – the next bishop of this diocese – as she/he thinks best.” His letter also includes a tentative timeline for the bishop search as established by the diocese’s standing committee, with a special electing convention expected in May 2026 and consecration in November 2026. “We will have ample time to give thanks for our shared ministry, to talk story, to laugh, and to eat ‘ono’ food,” Fitzpatrick said.

When Susie Keefer traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010, little did she know it would be the first of many mission journeys.

The Rev. Jonathan Baker, former conference council on ministries director, and registered nurse Donna Baker shared their skills with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

For more than two decades, the Congo Partnership has been changing lives.

[Episcopal News Service] The disciplinary hearing in two Title IV cases against former Florida Bishop John Howard has been delayed to an unspecified future date, according to an updated scheduling order detailing the next steps in the cases over the coming four months. Howard’s cases previously had been scheduled for a hearing April 30-May 2. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe had hoped negotiations with Howard would produce an accord to resolve the matters without a hearing, though those negotiations have yet to produce any public agreement in the cases, which involve allegations of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and financial improprieties. While accord talks continue, both sides must now follow the new timeline through mid-August for filing documentation and conducting witness depositions in preparation for a hearing. New dates for a hearing “shall be scheduled in a future order,” the hearing panel said. Howard served the Jacksonville-based Diocese of Florida for 20 years until his retirement in October 2023, after reaching the church’s mandatory clergy retirement age of 72. One of the two cases filed under the church’s Title IV canons alleges that the diocese, under Howard’s leadership, engaged in a pattern of discrimination against LGBTQ+ clergy and aspirants to ordained ministry, as well as their supporters. Howard, while affirming his conservative theological beliefs, has denied the claims of discrimination. The second case is unrelated and centers on three financial matters. Howard is accused of improperly benefiting from a home loan provided by his Jacksonville-based diocese that the diocese eventually forgave, and he is accused of spending money from a bishop’s discretionary account on home improvements. The case also details concerns about the transparency and propriety of an arrangement between Howard, an anonymous donor and an independent diocesan foundation to boost the bishop’s salary while also fulfilling corresponding pension obligations in the years before his retirement. Howard, in his written responses to these allegations, affirmed many of the underlying facts but denied all wrongdoing. Rowe issued a statement in February explaining that he hoped to reach an accord, or disciplinary agreement, with Howard “that promotes healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life and reconciliation, in accordance with the values that guide the Title IV process.” Such an agreement to resolve the matter, in consultation with the complainants, would be subject to approval by the church’s Disciplinary Board for Bishops. The presiding bishop continues to hope for an accord, and his office will provide updates when possible, according to a church spokesperson. Title IV of The Episcopal Church’s canons sets out standards of conduct for all ordained people in the church and provides a process for addressing misconduct allegations. Most complaints against bishops do not result in extensive Title IV proceedings; when they do, most details typically remain confidential unless public disclosure is required at the hearing panel stage. Hearing panels are made up of members of the larger Disciplinary Board for Bishops. On April 7, the hearing panel in Howard’s cases met with attorneys for both sides to discuss a new scheduling order in the case. The panel ordered both sides to produce relevant documents by May 30 and complete depositions by July 25. The church’s attorney must identify expert witnesses by July 8, and Howard’s attorneys have until July 21 to name their expert witnesses. Deadlines to name rebuttal witness extend into August, and expert depositions must be complete by Aug. 18. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

Feeling sidelined by Gen Z’s spiritual spotlight? Damilola Makinde invites millennials to rediscover their purpose in the quiet revival

Church leaders and Christians in Africa are mourning the death of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, 21 April.