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Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Thursday, May 14th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the Day. Here we go. In Beijing, Catholics and human rights advocates around the world are closely watching whether imprisoned Hong Kong Catholic media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be discussed during the two-day summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump confirmed May 11th that he planned to raise the cases of Lai and detained Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, calling them innocent people being held captive. Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now closed Apple Daily newspaper, has now spent more than 1,900 days in prison under Hong Kong's national security law and is serving a 20-year sentence in solitary confinement. Lawmakers from both major U.S. political parties are urging Trump to press Xi for Lai's release. In interviews with Aid to the Church in Need, Lai's children described how their father's Catholic faith continues to sustain him in prison. His daughter Claire said his faith is the only thing that saves him, while his son, Sebastian, warned the lengthy sentence amounts to a death sentence because of Lai's age, declining health, and what he described as harsh prison conditions. A new Georgia law is being hailed as a significant step forward in the long effort to hold clergy accountable for sexual abuse. And one Catholic expert who is himself a survivor says it's simply long overdue. Earlier this week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 542 into law, amending the state's legal code to define sexual abuse by clergy against those under their pastoral care or guidance as a specific criminal offense. The law provides for jail time, fines, and a 15-year reporting window for such crimes. Jesuit father Gerard McLaurin, a research fellow at Georgetown University's Berkeley Center and a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, praised the legislation for offering the basics of accountability and transparency. He told OSV News he hopes Georgia's law really becomes a model for other states to develop, especially as some states look to legally challenge the Catholic Church's seal of confession to root out abuse. I think that if we are to keep the sanctity of the confessional seal, then we have to show the commitment to protecting the pastoral situation more completely, Father McLaur said. A sweeping news survey confirms what many have long suspected. Most Americans want religion and electoral politics kept firmly separate. A Pew Research Center report released today found that 79% of Americans believe churches and other houses of worship should not endorse specific political candidates. An additional 66% said houses of worship should stay out of day-to-day political matters altogether, while just 33% said religious institutions should weigh in. The findings held across party lines and religious groups, with large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats and majorities of every major faith tradition surveyed, including Catholics, agreeing. The results carry particular relevance right now. The Trump administration has sought to overturn the Johnson Amendment, a federal policy that prevents churches from endorsing candidates without risking their tax-exempt status, though a federal judge recently dismissed that legal challenge. The USCCB has previously made clear the Catholic Church will maintain its long-standing policy of not endorsing or opposing political candidates, regardless of any changes to the law. According to a fellow sister, Sister Nadir lost her strength during the rescue attempt and was pulled unconscious from the sea. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. Another sister remains hospitalized. Archbishop Luigi Renna of Catania praised Sister Nadir's final act as a reflection of a life lived in giving and service. We entrust this sister of ours to the mercy of the Lord, the Archbishop said. With gratitude for the testimony of faith and charity, she leaves our community. Born into poverty in Brazil, Sister Nadir overcame a difficult youth, rediscovered her faith as a teenager, and entered religious life in 1999, going on to serve families, novices, the sick, and the elderly across Brazil, Italy, and France. In a historic first for American Catholicism, the nation's Catholic bishops are planning to formally consecrate the United States to the sacred heart of Jesus, and the timing, as the country marks its 250th anniversary amid deep political division, could not be more significant. The consecration is set for June 11th and was approved by the U.S.CCB at their fall assembly in Baltimore last November. Church leaders described the act as both a commemoration of the nation's semi-quincentennial and a prayer for healing and renewal. Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, who chairs the U.S.CCB Committee for Religious Liberty, said the gesture reflects a foundational truth about the American experiment. Our reliance on God really was the foundation that our founding fathers placed this nation on, he said. The USCCB is encouraging families, parishes, and dioceses across the country to participate, and offers resources for local consecrations at uscc.org. It marks the first national consecration of its kind in American history. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.