Morning Catholic must-reads: 27/04/11

An American woman has claimed that she was miraculously cured of eyelid spasms as a result of the intercession of John Paul II.

The population of Rome is expected to increase by a million this weekend when pilgrims arrive for the beatification of the late pope.

The Charity Tribunal in Britain has rejected an appeal by a Catholic agency over gay adoption (PDF of full judgment).

A Catholic priest in Northern Ireland has offered to meet members of the Real IRA after the dissident group threatened to kill more police officers.

The Archdiocese of Bombay has given a pro-life award to nurses in a government-run hospital who have kept a patient in a vegetative state alive for 37 years.

Rorate Caeli suggests that Benedict XVI may not be the initiator of the inter-religious meeting in Assisi on October 27.

Papal biographer George Weigel explains why he is slightly worried by John Paul II’s beatification.

John Allen explores why the late pope was for many a “sign of contradiction”.

The Wall Street Journal says the beatification is being overshadowed by the royal wedding.

Ignatius Insight posts a trailer for a new film about St Josephine Bakhita.

Patrick Owens argues that Pope Benedict is promoting a revival of spoken Latin.

Newt Gingrich outlines why he became a Catholic.

And Richard Dawkins says that he needs “to learn not to bend over backwards to be nice” to Catholics.