Morning Catholic must-reads: 24/01/11

The Church must take greater care in preparing couples for marriage, Benedict XVI said in his annual address to the Roman Rota on Saturday.

Divisions between Christians are “an offence to Christ“, Pope Benedict said at the Angelus yesterday (full text).

Fr Keith Newton, head of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, told the BBC yesterday he is hopeful that “there will be some sharing of Anglican premises”.

Bishop Thomas McMahon of Brentwood has said that his diocese has the largest number of Anglican parishes that want to join the Ordinariate.

The bishop of Japan’s smallest diocese has said he will continue to ban the Neocatechumenal Way.

The Italian Archbishop Paolo Pezzi has been elected chairman of the Russian bishops’ conference.

Egyptian cleric Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb has said he will not attend the Pope’s inter-religious gathering in Assisi because such meetings “are not bringing any good to Muslims“.

Fr Daniel Madigan SJ argues that Catholic-Muslim dialogue must “move beyond the polite mutual examination of our highest ideals”.

And Joseph Pronechen profiles a 12-year-old “pro-life powerhouse” who counts several bishops among his fans.