The Daily Register

US Religious Freedom Commission Urges Trump to Press for Release of Religious Prisoners

2026-09-15T16:47:59-05:00

Jimmy Lai is a Hong Kong media publisher and democracy advocate who has been jailed under the city’s national security law since 2020.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom made the plea ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Sept. 24 trip to Washington, D.C.

Why Some Catholic Schools Are Taking Screens Out of the Classroom

Jonah McKeown — 2026-09-15T15:24:30-05:00

‘Ed Tech’

Amid growing concerns about screen time and AI, some Catholic schools are scaling back classroom technology and returning to books, handwriting and face-to-face instruction.

Cardinal Pizzaballa Calls Christians in the Holy Land to Make the Cross a Way of Life

2026-09-15T13:52:40-05:00

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa presides over Mass on the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Sept. 13, 2026, at Christ the Redeemer Church in Taybeh, West Bank.

The Latin patrarch presided over Mass on the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Taybeh, calling on Christians to live the “logic of the cross” through love and self-giving.

With Leo XIV, Trusting the Process Could Mean a Bigger Bureaucracy

Andrea Gagliarducci — 2026-09-15T13:32:29-05:00

Pope Leo XIV addresses Vatican employees and their families during the Governorate’s Family Festival in the Vatican Gardens on Sept. 5, 2026.

ANALYSIS: The Holy See needs better organization, but it also needs competent leaders and managers who can run a complex structure.

Trump Asks Cissie Lynch, Granddaughter of Billy Graham, to Be Religious Freedom Ambassador

2026-09-15T12:19:28-05:00

In a screenshot from the RNC’s livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, Christian leader Cissie Graham Lynch addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 25, 2020.

The author and radio host said it would be a “great honor and privilege” to serve if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

‘Baby Girl in That Belly: Daddy Loves You!’ Tom Pelphrey Steals Emmy Show With Pro-Life Message

Alyssa Murphy — 2026-09-15T11:52:09-05:00

US actress Kaley Cuoco and US actor Tom Pelphrey winner of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for "Task" attend the Governors Gala for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026.

The brief speech stands in stark contrast to the typical Hollywood fare where abortion and cultural messaging often overshadow faith and family.

Pope Leo XIV Names Newark Auxiliary Bishop to Lead Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey

2026-09-15T08:14:48-05:00

St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen, New Jersey.

The pontiff also accepted the resignation of Bishop Francis Malone, 76, of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Daughter of Imprisoned Christian Syrian Urges Trump to Intervene

2026-09-15T08:12:29-05:00

Joel Veldkamp, director for public advocacy at Christian Solidarity International (CSI); Natalie Khalil, daughter of Suleiman Khalil, a former mayor in Sadad, Syria, who has been detained since February 2025; and Veronica Dudo, EWTN News Nightly anchor, discuss Suleiman Khalil’s detention, the state of U.S.-Syrian relations, and Natalie’s recent letter to President Donald Trump on EWTN News Nightly, Sept. 14, 2026.

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) is calling for U.S. governmental intervention after Suleiman Khalil was arrested and detained Feb. 8, 2025.

Church Documents 304 Martyrs in Latin America So Far This Century

2026-09-15T07:41:59-05:00

Pope Leo XIV celebrate Mass for the commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of the faith of the 21st century on Sept. 14, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.

Historian Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, says the Church is truly experiencing a 'new era of martyrdom.'

Study: Doctors Don’t Screen for Abortion Coercion — and It Hurts Women

2026-09-14T18:35:39-05:00

Though abortion coercion is a key indicator of negative outcomes for women who have abortions, abortion providers rarely screen for it.

A recent study highlights that when women are coerced or pressured into abortion, they are at high risk for negative outcomes — but abortion prviidess rarely screen for abortion coercion.

Sainthood Cause for Virginia Farmer Who Saved His Son Moves Forward

2026-09-14T18:30:28-05:00

Tom Vander Woude with baby Joseph “Josie” Vander Woude.

The sainthood cause for Tom Vander Woude, a Catholic father of seven who died saving his youngest son, moves to the information gathering stage.

Nearly 700 Young Christians Gather in Iraq for Baghdeda Youth Festival

2026-09-14T15:36:48-05:00

Nearly 700 Baghdeda youth came together for the sixth annual Baghdeda Youth Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in Iraq.

The young people came together to pray and hear talks under the theme “In the Footsteps of St. Francis.”

UN Asked to Recognize Surrogate Motherhood As a New Form of Slavery

2026-09-14T15:11:37-05:00

The Catholic Church also condemns the practice of surrogacy.

The request makes the case that surrogacy fits the definition laid out in the 1926 Slavery Convention that the practice entails the rights of ownership of a person.

25 Years After 9/11, Where Does the Church Stand With Islam?

Father Raymond J. de Souza — 2026-09-14T14:59:22-05:00

In this picture made available by the Vatican Newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI gives his speech to faculty and students of the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006 in Regensburg, Germany.

COMMENTARY: Pope Benedict’s Regensburg address on the five-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks remains the fullest theological response.

Cardinal Czerny Announced As First Recipient of Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal

2026-09-14T11:55:18-05:00

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, speaks at the press conference on the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal recipient at the Sala San Pio X in Rome on Sept. 14, 2026.

The recently retired prefect of the Vatican’s human development office will receive the award from the pope on Oct. 13.

Pope Leo XIV Marks 71st Birthday With Opening of Water Exhibit at Vatican Library

2026-09-14T11:51:17-05:00

Pope Leo XIV blows out his birthday candle during the launch of the “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” exhibition at the Vatican Apostolic Library on Sept. 14, 2026.

The pontiff launched the 'AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder' exhibit on Sept. 14.

Vatican Latin Mass Permissions Steady Across Papal Transition

2026-09-14T11:11:27-05:00

View of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Thirty-four dioceses received permission for celebrations in parish churches in 2025 — unchanged from 2024 — with the United States accounting for 24 of the 34 decrees.

When Fulton Sheen Came to Dinner

Matthew Bunson — 2026-09-14T10:53:48-05:00

The Bunson family enjoys a visit with Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Young Matthew is looking up at the archbishop.

COMMENTARY: While my 7-year-old mind no doubt missed many of the profound insights he gave, they were evenings I have never forgotten.

After 30 Year Absence, Religious Sisters Return to New York Catholic School

Gigi Duncan — 2026-09-14T10:17:00-05:00

Sister Laurie-Marie Parisi, who has about 20 years of teaching experience ranging from preschool through high school, now serves as principal at St. Mary’s Academy in Glen Falls, New York.

What began with an unexpected question at a diocesan meeting has led to a new convent and chapter for the Glens Falls school.

Pope Leo XIV Repeals COVID-Era Pay Cuts to Vatican Cardinals

2026-09-14T09:59:17-05:00

A flag of Vatican City State flies outside Piazza Pio XII, the main entrance to St. Peter’s Square, on July 16, 2026.

Pope Francis had instituted the cuts as an austerity measure in 2021.