A group of prominent German Catholics called on February 3 for the ordination of women and ending mandatory priestly celibacy among other changes to Catholic sexual morality. The group of nine, including prominent German priests and theologians, made their demands in an open letter to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, published in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The signatories of the letter demand a new assessment of the church’s teaching on homosexuality, permission for the ordination of women and a reordering of church structure, among other changes.

A day after Pope Francis created an international uproar by saying Catholic nuns had been subjected to “sexual slavery” by the founder of a French order, the Vatican sought to clarify his remarks. “When the Holy Father, referring to the dissolution of a Congregation, spoke of ‘sexual slavery,’ he meant ‘manipulation,’ a form of abuse of power which is reflected also in sexual abuse,” said Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti.

The Pope’s shocking comments were the first time he has publicly acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by Catholic bishops and priests. To date, much of the clergy abuse scandal has focused on minors, who represent the vast majority of cases.

The results of a wide-ranging study that surveyed the attitudes of people in as many as 35 countries suggest that happiness is tied to being religiously active.

Where Americans fit on that scale hops around a bit depending on the subject matter, according to the study, “Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World,” issued on Jan. 31 by the Pew Research Centre.

“We began with a more fundamental question about religion’s role in societal and individual well-being,” said Joey Marshall, lead researcher for Pew on the report. “That’s not a question we can definitively answer. We can’t prove religion makes people happier. But it’s an important and fundamental question.”

The research indicates, though, that happiness stretches across faith systems, as the countries surveyed embrace either Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Islam and eastern religions as their principal religion.

Respondents fall into one of three groups: the “actively religious,” those who identify with a religion and attend religious services at least once per month; the “inactives,” those who identify with a religion and attend less often; and the “unaffiliated,” those who do not identify with a religious group.

In a group of 26 nations, the United States tied for 14th in the percentage of religiously active people who say are “very happy.” 36% of religious Americans said as much, compared to 25% each for their counterparts who are religiously inactive or religiously unaffiliated.

But the 36% figure was just above half of top-finishing Mexico’s 71% of its religiously active population. Of the 26 nations surveyed, there were only seven where a higher percentage of the religiously inactive or unaffiliated reported being very happy compared to than the religiously active.

The United States finished second among 26 countries, behind only New Zealand, with 85% of the religiously active respondents saying they also are involved in some kind of nonreligious organization.

The U.S. finished 17th among 25 nations with 62% of religiously active respondents always voting in national elections.

Sharing one’s faith—evange-lizing—is a core practice among many religions. For Christians, it’s viewed as a mandate from Jesus Himself before He departed earth: commanding his disciples to “spread the good news.” Yet, today, a number of factors are curbing many Christians’ enthusiasm for faith-sharing, including the decline of religion in America, a spreading apathy toward spiritual matters and a growing cultural suspicion of people of faith.

It is against this backdrop that Barna is releasing Reviving Eva-ngelism, a new report based on research commissioned by Alpha USA. This study looks at the faith-sharing experiences and expectations of Christians and non-Christians alike. Among the major findings in this report is the revelation that Christian Millennials feel especially confli-cted about evangelism—and, in fact, almost half believe it is wrong to share their faith.

Almost all practicing Christ-ians believe that part of their faith means being a witness about Jesus (ranging from 95% to 97% among all generational groups), and that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus (94% to 97%). Millennials in particular feel equipped to share their faith with others. For instance, almost three-quarters say they know how to respond when someone raises questions about faith (73%), and that they are gifted at sharing their faith with other people (73%). This is higher than any other generational group: Gen X (66%), Boomers (59%) and Elders (56%).