Morning Catholic must-reads

The Pope is expected to name Archbishop Velasio DePaolis the Apostolic Delegate to the Legion of Christ.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York are reportedly preparing to make a last-ditch effort to prevent thousands of traditionalists leaving the Church of England.

The Vatican’s spokesman expressed “esteem and solidarity” with Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe yesterday as it emerged that police are investigating the Archbishop of Naples for alleged corruption.

Benedict XVI made an urgent appeal for peace in southern Kyrgyzstan and prayed for the world’s refugees after the Angelus on Sunday (full text, video).

Pope Benedict ordained 14 new priests for the Diocese of Rome in St Peter’s Basilica yesterday (hfull text).

A Vatican spokesman has denied reports that the disgraced former Archbishop of Poznań, Juliusz Paetz, is to be “rehabilitated”.

Zenit publishes the final part of Pope Benedict’s question-and-answer session with priests.

Fr Edward Daly welcomes the Saville report into Bloody Sunday.

Commonweal responds to criticism by the US bishops of its stance on the healthcare bill.

John Allen points out the “elephants in the room” of the Catholic debate on healthcare reform.

Kevin O’Rourke looks at “the complicated reasons behind an abortion at a Catholic hospital” in Phoenix.

George Weigel describes the alternative to “Catholic Lite”.

Karl Giberson urges Christians not to vilify the New Atheists.

Joanna Bogle profiles Catholic Voices, which aims to transform the media image of Catholicism during the Pope’s visit to Britain.

Austen Ivereigh applauds Archbishop Vincent Nichols’s efforts to promote the papal visit.

Rocco Palmo reports on the remarkable success of the iBreviary app for the iPhone.

And Fr Z wonders if the iPad will replace the altar missal.

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Morning Catholic must-reads

The New York Times launches a fierce attack on Cardinal William Levada’s handling of abuse cases after he criticised the paper’s coverage of the crisis.

Benedict XVI backed efforts to reduce the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons at his general audience yesterday (video).

Members of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences have met to discuss the global financial crisis. Fr Raymond de Souza, a participant, comments.

The Vatican has named the patrons of World Youth Day in Madrid next year. They include Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.

The number of pilgrims travelling to St Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg is increasing.

Cardinal Seán Brady will deliver a major lecture on Irish Catholicism in Oxford later this month.

Zenit catches up with Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier ahead of next month’s World Cup in South Africa.

Daniel Cere at the Homiletic and Pastoral Review says the Church’s response to this abuse crisis has been disturbing.

Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, president of the Belgian bishops’ conference, discusses the impact of the crisis in his country.

Vatican Radio talks to Richard Rouse, an official at the Pontifical Council for Culture, about the media’s role in uncovering abuse.

History professor Robert Ventresca says the crisis will lead to a stronger Church.

Rocco Palmo profiles “Big George” Pell, who is expected to be the next prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Zenit concludes its interview with Tom Peterson, founder of Catholics Come Home.

Commonweal publishes an essay by the acclaimed novelist Marilynne Robinson.

And Fr Gerald Coleman discusses whether Catholics should support the decriminalisation of cannabis.

Morning Catholic must-reads

Andrew Brown says Pope Benedict’s speech to the English and Welsh bishops yesterday “raised every residual Protestant hackle in the country” (Pope’s full address here, Archbishop Nichols’s address here, Fr Z’s fisk of Pope’s speech here, ad limina photos here, video report here).

More than 800 people have signed a petition to “Make the Pope Pay” for his visit to Britain.

The new English translation of the Mass is likely to be introduced in parishes in Advent 2011.

Pope Benedict’s full address to the Roman Rota is finally available in English.

The Catholic bishops of France have said that a ban on full face veils will lead to more persecution of Christians in Muslim countries.

Jesus broke “all PR rules”, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna has said during his visit to America.

John Allen ponders two new documents that add to the debate about Pius XII’s wartime actions.

The hard-working NCR reporter also analyses the Italian bishops’ liberal stance on immigration.

And Commonweal talks to Diana Fritz Cates about St Thomas Aquinas and the emotions.

Morning Catholic must-reads

John Allen highlights the forceful environmental message in Pope Benedict’s World Peace Day message.

The Catholic News Service looks at the gulf between rich and poor countries at the Copenhagen climate summit.

Anna Arco invites a canon lawyer to interpret the new Motu Proprio, Omnium in mentum.

Canonist Dr Edward Peters offers another take on the document, as does Fr Tim Finigan.

Symon Hill argues that Christians should welcome the judgment against a Christian registrar who refused to perform civil partnership ceremonies.

SPUC criticises the Irish supreme court ruling on the status of human embryos.

Commonweal considers the “potentially dramatic consequences” of Anglicanorum coetibus.

Fr Michael Monshau, OP, professor of liturgy, homiletics, and spirituality at the Angelicum, suggests that good preaching is a vital part of the Anglo-Catholic patrimony.

Fr John Hunwicke SCC wonders where Anglicanorum coetibus leaves Apostolicae Curae.

Michael Czerny SJ recalls an HIV-postive Kenyan mother’s response to the encyclical Caritas in Veritate.

WaPo reports on Georgetown University’s efforts to be both authentically Catholic and welcoming to gay students.

And Mirror of Justice debates the concept of Just War in the wake of President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

John Wilkins: How to walk the tightrope

There’s an interesting article in this week’s issue of Commonweal by the former Tablet editor John Wilkins. (It’s available here, but you have to log in to read it.)

It’s headlined “The Tightrope” and it’s about the difficulties that editors of independent Catholic newspapers sometimes face in reconciling the pursuit of truth and respectful loyalty to the Church hierarchy. It’s main focus is on newspapers that sometimes challenge the Magisterium of the Church, but some of his points are relevant to anyone who works in (or uses) the Catholic media.

Here’s a taster:

I felt at the Tablet that I was walking a tightrope. I had a double responsibility. Yes, I had a responsibility to the Catholic faith and its official interpreters, but also one to the claims of all the baptised, who are called on to take a lead in the world. I never met a colleague from any continent who did not walk that tightrope. What happens if public opinion in the Church is unwelcome to the authorities? What should the independent Catholic media do then? To what extent can independent Catholic editors, like secular editors, invigilate power? …

Pius XII said that informed public opinion is necessary to the Church’s life. If that is the case, there has to be a way to communicate that opinion. Here, independent Catholic media that are critically loyal have an indispensable role to play provided their approach is founded on knowledge, research, love of the Church, humility, self-discipline, self-examination, and readiness to accept correction. At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church defined itself as a hierarchically structured people’s Church. In that case, open channels for public opinion within it are even more essential now than before.

Photo: South Korean Kwon Won-tae walks a high wire during the World High Wire Championships in Seoul last year (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)