On today's Register Radio, the entire show is devoted to the controversy of Georgetown University inviting Health and Human Services' Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak at an awards commencement ceremony for the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. National Catholic Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond and columnist Patrick Archbold joined us for a roundtable discussion on the topic.

Desmond provided an overview of the controversial invitation given Sebelius' longtime support of abortion and her spearheading the HHS contraception mandate.

Initially, a university blog post announced that Sebelius would be speaking at commencement. After protests, the university said she was not...READ MORE

On Register Radio today, National Catholic Register correspondent Steve Weatherbe spoke about his recent article on the Catholic vote and broke down the numbers for us.

Weatherbe posited that there is still a Catholic vote, but it's getting smaller.

"The unaffiliated's are getting bigger," said Weatherbe. "Among those who are religious, however, the more strongly religious, the more likely they are to vote Republican. This is true among Catholics, but even moreso among evangelicals. Among those who attend Church weekly, among white Catholics, the support for Romney doubles."

Weatherbe also noted that among Catholics, both Hispanics and women, tend to vote Democratic, but overall...READ MORE

The Heritage Foundation has reported that the federal government just released the first round of public comments regarding the administration's proposed Health and Human Service's mandate, and they are overwhelmingly opposed to the measure. No surprise there. America was founded on religious freedom and Americans resent having their religious liberties trampled upon.

Out of the 211 comments submitted, 97% oppose the mandate. Only six of the comments offer support for the mandate.

The HHS mandate will require all organizations that offer health insurance to include coverage for contraceptives and abortion-inducing medications, even if such drugs violate the organizations' religious or...READ MORE

On today's Register Radio, Dan Burke led the show off with his interview of Catholic columnist and blogger Jimmy Akin about the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the largest body of women's religious in the country. Jimmy provided a thorough explanation of the document's findings and the reaction to it.

"The CDF investigation uncovered a series of doctrinal problems that challenge the core of the Christian faith," explained Akins. "Some leaders said that the nuns were moving beyond the Church, or beyond Jesus. The investigation found one organization - The Resource Center for Religious Institutes -...READ MORE

Yesterday, journalists were given an opportunity to talk with several individuals involved in the production of the film For Greater Glory, which opens in theaters in the U.S. on June 1. They sat down with director Dean Wright, and actors Andy Garcia (General Enrique Gorostieta), Eduardo Verastegui (Anacleto Gonzalez Flores), and Mauricio Kuri (Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio).

Andy Garcia

The film opened in Mexico last week. How has it been received?

Andy Garcia: It broke all records in Mexico as the second highest grossing film since Titanic. It’s a universal, international story for the world. It’s a story that needs to be told.

I received a letter from the grand daughter of...READ MORE

In the first half of Register Radio, media observer David Pierre spoke about the findings of the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops' ninth consecutive annual audit and the media's misrepresentation of the data.

Pierre pointed out that while several media sources stated that reported abuse cases were on the rise, over 90% of those were from two decades ago or further back. When the statistics are separated out, the audit reveals that reports by current minors actually decreased in 2011.

Pierre also offered other statistics not widely reported, such as the fact that more than 75% of the accused priests are deceased, have already been removed from ministry, or are missing.

Today on Register Radio, Father Greg Markey, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Norwalk, Conn., spoke about his recent National Catholic Register article, "Humanae Vitae, the Priest, and the HHS Mandate."

In his remarks, Father Markey said that the culture of the 1960s, and an expectation that Pope Paul VI would allow contraception, led to widespread dissent within the Church when the prophetic encyclical letter Humanae Vitae was issued, confirming the Church's teaching against the use of contraception, and prophesying that the widespread use of contraception would lead to: 1) infidelity and moral decline, 2) a loss of respect for women, 3) the abuse of power, and 4) unlimited...READ MORE

In the first half of today’s program, National Catholic Register correspondent Victor Gaetan spoke about Pope Benedict XVI’s recent pilgrimage to Cuba. Gaetan identified the highpoint as the Papal Mass in Santiago de Cuba. “To see 200,000 Cubans celebrate Mass was very unique,” said Gaetan. “The Church has been persecuted since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. There is hope that they can still believe to achieve freedom.”

Gaetan added that there are two attitudes present in Cuba. One is demonstrated by the Ladies in White, a group of wives, sisters and mothers, who oppose the Castro regime and demonstrate weekly outside a Catholic Church in Havana. The other is the Castro regime, which...READ MORE