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‘Media at the Vatican’

Information Flow for the Synod on Synodality (Sept. 16)

We are now only a few weeks away from the start of the Synod on Synodality in Rome, and Synod officials have announced that the media will have limited access to the Synod’s sessions. This raises the question: Is a tightly-controlled information flow the best way to go? This week on Register Radio we talk with Russell Shaw, one of the great veterans of the Catholic Press, about the Synod, secrecy and the state of Catholic media.

‘AI’

AI and Catholic Colleges, and the Pope in Mongolia (Sept. 9)

The ‘Pope of the Peripheries’ makes history in Mongolia. Catholic News Agency’s Courtney Mares traveled in the papal press corps during first-ever papal visit to the north-central Asian country. She joins us now with her traveler’s diary notes. Then we look at AI on College campuses: How are Catholic colleges and universities handling this new moment of artificial intelligence? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Register writer Matthew McDonald gives us perspectives from the field.

Dorothy Day is pictured in 1916.

Dorothy Day, Mongolia, Synod on Synodality, and Politicized School Curricula (Sept. 2)

Students are back in school or soon will be. And parents of public school students are, in some places, on high alert to safeguard their children from politicized agendas — especially in regards to gender identity in their school curriculum. Senior editor Joan Desmond has been following the latest developments in parental rights in California and across the country and she joins today. But first, we turn to news from the Vatican. Roman holiday — the traditional August escape from hot and humid Rome — is over and Pope Francis has picked up a busy schedule with a four-day trip to Mongolia, continued preparations for the synod, the signaling of support for the cause of Dorothy Day and confirmation that a sequel to Laudato Si is in the works.

Several mobs attacked Christian communities and set fire to several churches Aug. 16, in the town of Jaranwala, in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district, after two Christians were accused of defiling the Quran.

Pakistan Violence, the Abortion Pill, Maui Fires and More (Aug. 19)

The Maui fire devastation and a spared Catholic Church, a court ruling reinstating limits on abortion pills, Ohio pro-lifers gearing for an aggressive abortion ballot measure in November, and churches destroyed by a mob in Pakistan — these are some of the news stories that Matthew Bunson and Jeanette De Melo discuss this week in an Editors’ Corner. Then, EWTN News legal analyst Andrea Picciotti-Bayer gives an update on several religious liberty cases making their way through state courts.

Pilgrims process by candlelight before the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

WYD 2023 Lisbon, ‘The Miracle Club’ and Lourdes (July 29)

Hundreds of thousands of young people will meet Pope Francis in Portugal next weekend for World Youth Day. The Holy Father doesn’t want this opportunity to be simply religious tourism — it’s a spiritual pilgrimage. Father Roger Landry joins us now to talk about how WYD people can help us all on our spiritual pilgrimage of life. Then we turn to another well-known pilgrimage site: Lourdes. The film ‘The Miracle Club’ highlights the journey of a group of women to Our Lady’s shrine at Lourdes in France. Register senior editor Joan Desmond reviews the movie and offers her own experience of assisting pilgrims on pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Jim Caviezel (l) and Javier Godino star in ‘Sound of Freedom.’

‘Sound of Freedom’, Working Through Grief, and Grandparents (July 22)

‘Sound of Freedom’ has now topped box office charts. Register writer Patti Armstrong has followed the movie’s production, its success and its serious subject matter — human trafficking. Then we turn to a subject not easy to speak about but that everyone faces at some point in life — grief. We explore how to ‘Grieve the Catholic Way: Seeking Heavenly Help Through Sorrow and Trauma.’ And then don’t forget Grandparents’ Day July 23.

Left: The Palace of the Holy Office near St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Right: The Supreme Court Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Religion-Related SCOTUS Decisions and the Pope’s New DDF Head (July 8)

The Supreme Court ended its term with two religion-related decisions, ruling in favor of religious accommodation and free speech. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer explains the Court’s decisions and relevance for any believer and the common good. Also, Pope Francis announced last week a new head for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith. Edward Pentin offers reporting and analysis on Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández.

Gilbert Stuart, “Portrait of Commodore John Barry,” 1801

Catholics in the American Revolution and an Update on Bishop Strickland (July 1)

Happy Fourth of July! As we prepare for Independence Day, let’s do some trivia on Catholic connections in the American Revolution. Register writer Joseph Pronechen has the facts about some of the unsung Catholic heroes who made their mark at our nation’s beginnings. But first we look at important Church news in the U.S. this week: Register Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mullen discusses the Vatican’s apostolic visitation of Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.