December 16, 2023 - PBS News Weekend full episode

Efforts by Pope Francis to make the Catholic Church more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people and women, alongside urging vaccination against COVID, have been creating a growing chasm between the Vatican and traditionalist American Catholics. David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, joins Ali Rogin to discuss.

A coroner’s finding that actor Matthew Perry died from “acute effects” of ketamine is drawing new attention to the drug, a powerful anesthetic intended for use during surgery that has also become a popular treatment for chronic pain and mental health conditions. John Yang speaks with epidemiologist Dr. Caleb Alexander to learn more about a rise in ketamine prescriptions and its effects and risks.

The men in Northwestern University’s Prison Education Program have been called many things — mostly inmates. But these residents of a maximum security state prison in Illinois have been adding new titles: student, scholar, author, and now, college graduate. Chicago PBS member station WTTW’s Brandis Friedman reports.