Today’s Catholic must-reads: 22/02/12

The 40 days of Lent should encourage us to “find new courage to accept with patience and with faith situations of difficulty, affliction and trial“, Pope Benedict said at his general audience this morning (full text, video).

Benedict XVI will “pronounce a final judgment” on the results of the Holy See’s discussions with the SSPX before summer, an Italian news agency has reported.

A Catholic priest in Belfast has provoked controversy among Irish nationalists after he said that he saw “the Queen and senior British government figures as defenders of faith”.

Michael Warsaw, president of EWTN, explains why the Catholic television network will not comply with the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.

Robert E Lauder argues that Martin Scorsese would “produce the masterpiece that so far has eluded him” if he reconnects with his Catholic faith.

And Dylan Parry discovers the perfect snack for Lent.