Morning Catholic must-reads: 16/04/12

Benedict XVI asked for prayers “so that the Lord gives me the strength to fulfill the mission he entrusted to me” at the Regina Caeli yesterday on the eve of his 85th birthday.

The Vatican is likely to make an announcement this week on the Society of St Pius X after the deadline for the SSPX’s new response to the Holy See’s doctrinal preamble passed yesterday.

The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru has rejected a Vatican deadline to reform its statutes.

The Pope has sent a message to mark the 500th anniversary of the first public exposition of the Holy Tunic, Christ’s “seamless garment”, in Trier, Germany.

Cecil Chaudhry, a Pakistani war hero and devout Catholic who taught Shahbaz Bhatti, has died in Lahore, aged 72.

Anne Hendershott and Christopher White argue that “traditional Catholicism is winning”.

Fr Federico Lombardi celebrates Pope Benedict’s 85th birthday and looks ahead to the seventh anniversary of his election this week.

The Sensible Bond considers whether there is likely to be an agreement between the SSPX and the Holy See.

Pia de Solenni despairs at the Catholic League’s response to last week’s controversy involving the wife of Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.

CNN catches up with an “unlikely pilgrim” who walked for two days to reach the shrine of St Mother Theodore Guerin.

And Edward Pentin describes how Pope Benedict is likely to spend his 85th birthday today.