“It doesn’t matter which ethical system you use, it can always be enhanced by a compassionate approach.”

“Ethics of compassion is a major part of all major religions. But ethics of compassion can also be developed without having to rely on a specific religion.”

The recent reconciliation service in New Orleans was “about acknowledging what has taken place in history, apologizing for that, and seeking ways to see our neighbor in a different light,” says Bishop Morris Thompson of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

The debate over the morality of Edward Snowden's actions; and the Christian presence in Jordan.

"I don’t think anybody takes an act and says to themselves, 'What I’m doing is immoral, but I’m going to do it.' People always rationalize," according to former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow.

"We are the ones who inherited this birthplace of Christianity. I think we are agents to carry this as witnesses to the whole world," says Father Nabil Haddad, a priest in the ancient Melkite Catholic Church who lives in Amman.

Rev. Thomas Reese on Roman Catholic Church's handling of sex abuse crisis; learning to live with the loss of a loved one; and Hinduism's age-old reverence for cows in modern India.

"If we had had 30 or 40 bishops in this country stand up and say, 'I’ve made a mistake. I take full responsibility. I’m sorry, and I resign,' we wouldn’t be where we are today," says Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at the National Catholic Reporter.

"We become less human if we don't tend to grief in an open-hearted and generous way," says Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde of Washington, DC. "We face into that abyss and say yet I will live, yet I will pass on life and joy. Even if I can't know it myself, I will ensure that others will, and I will ...

Cows are considered sacred by Hindus in India. They were the favorite animal of Lord Krishna, and they serve as a symbol of wealth, strength, and abundance. But people who want to protect these creatures must also deal with those who think cows are little more than a nuisance.

Watch our audio slideshow of "The Expanse of Eternity," a concert held on January 17 when the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. had emptied the nave of all its chairs.

Sisters of Loretto oppose gas pipeline in Kentucky; an American apparel supplier pays his garment workers fairly