The “interconnectness of life” emerged as a popular phrase at a two-day conference in early May at Columbia University in New York City. Titled “Common Ground: Science and Religion in Dialogue for a Sustainable Future,” the gathering brought together a wide range of experts from the seemingly diverse fields of science and religion. Introducing the event on its first day, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at the university’s Center for the Study of Science and Religion, said that combining science and religion does not necessarily make for a smooth dialogue. And yet such dialogue was indeed evident as the conference got under way. The three keynote speakers and the panelists affirmed the connectedness of the two, as well as the need to see them as essential in creating an ethic of sustainability. Such an ethic, they all emphasized, is key to the future of our ever more fragile earth.

Sitting in row 13, in the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind., I watched with pride as my son graduated from the University of Notre Dame on May 17. Graduation is a moment to mark re-entry into the world for most students, but of course it was more than that for the thousands gathered at Notre Dame. The audience witnessed another chapter in our country’s national drama over abortion policy, one, perhaps, that could serve as a teaching moment for our church.