Morning Catholic must-reads

The patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church has accused Iraqi authorities of complicity in the murder of Christians in Mosul.

A thousand Christians are leaving the Holy Land every year, says Rome Reports (video).

Spiegel Online says Christians are the most persecuted people in the world.

Spain’s bishops have described a radical liberalisation of the country’s abortion law as “a step backward“.

Two years after World Youth Day, Sydney is seeing an upsurge in vocations and ordinations.

The next consistory to create new cardinals may take place in November.

Fr John Zuhlsdorf says the long-awaited “Instruction” on Summorum Pontificum may be imminent.

The campaign to delay the new English translation of the Mass has attracted more than 17,000 signatures.

The National Secular Society continues to fume about the Pope’s visit to Britain.

Three English bishops are taking the fight to save their adoption agencies to the High Court.

The election advice of the bishops of England and Wales will be published this week (previews here and here).

Hundreds of people have attended a national congress in London for Catholics working with young people (photos).

An Irish bishop has said he was embarrassed to kiss the Pope’s ring during the Vatican abuse summit.

The Pope has ended his “profound” week-long Lenten retreat (video).

Hundreds of Polish Catholics are converting to Judaism, says the New York Times.

Archbishop Dolan of New York has given another major television interview (video).

Hugh McLoughlin responds to those who suggest that Pope Benedict disapproves of the Scottish Church.

Giovanni Maria Vian, editor of L’Osservatore Romano, says Benedict XVI has a deep concern for priests.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, discusses evangelisation in the digital world (audio).

John Allen says the growing presence of foreign priests is helping to make American Catholicism less insular.

A Catholic who defended waterboarding on EWTN is facing severe criticism, the New York Times reports. R R Reno criticises the report.

The Wall Street Journal wonders if we are seeing the beginning of the end of the Reformation.

Tom Holland defends the much-maligned St Paul, as does Sarah Ruden.

Joseph Bottum and R R Reno clash over whether other countries should learn from France’s approach to religious freedom.

Fr Aidan Nichols OP has given a Lent lecture on the priesthood (video) and the Congregation for Clergy has uploaded a trio of videos to YouTube about the priest as Alter Christus.

And Vaticano Spa (“Vatican Ltd”), a book about the alleged murky financial dealings of the Vatican, is a bestseller in Italy.