Copy Desk Daily, Sept. 16, 2020

What's the future of religion in the United States? Pew Research Center looked to get some insights into that question. A new Pew survey shows teens, parents practice faith together, though teens are less religious. "A lot of what this survey shows is that teens are fairly religious and they take after their parents. They're also less religious on some measures," says one of the study's co-authors. "It's kind of this-and-that, at the same time."

Meet 9-year-old Carmen Elvira Taywho, picking coffee in Guatemala, in Paul Jeffrey's Lens on Creation: Healing the Earth one cup at a time. EarthBeat's ongoing series for the Season of Creation also includes a Spanish version of each reflection; today's is Enfocando la Creación: Sanando la Tierra, una taza a la vez.

Some bishops' tweets lately have been less than edifying — and work at odds with their role to represent communion in the local and universal church. Fr. Dan Horan considers the complicated reality of Catholic bishops on Twitter, especially as the election season moves into high gear in the U.S.

It was a theological dispute that brought on Fr. Jeremy Leatherby's automatic excommunication last month. But his troubles began several years ago when he was suspended after allegations of sexual exploitation. Members of Leatherby's prominent Catholic family in Sacramento, California, have come to his defense, while supporters of the woman who accused him say the family has "scared others into silence." Meanwhile, there's still no verdict from a church court, and accuser and excommunicated priest both wait as sexual violation case drags on.

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