Morning Catholic must-reads: 10/05/12

The Welsh government has written to all Catholic schools in Wales insisting that they must give a “balanced perspective” when discussing same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has condemned the murder of the Catholic radio presenter Nestor Sapidan Libaton.

The Portuguese government has announced that Corpus Christi and All Saints’ Day will no longer be national holidays in an attempt to boost the country’s economy.

Vatican Insider reports that 79 per cent of practising Catholics voted for Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election.

A Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb is now available for use in the United States (PDF of full text).

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster tells Zenit that catechists need to acknowledge that the “role of memory has changed” in everyday life today.

And Garry Wills argues that the “early Church had no specific rite for marriage”.