Morning Catholic must-reads: 16/07/12

Benedict XVI urged the people of Frascati to live as missionaries when he celebrated Mass in the Italian town famous for its white wine on Sunday morning (full text).

The “work of Christ and the Church never regresses, but always progresses”, the Pope said at the Angelus yesterday (full text, video).

SSPX leaders decided to reject the Holy See’s reconciliation offer at their general chapter in Ecône, Switzerland, according to Spanish reports.

A long-awaited Council of Europe report calling for further reform of the Vatican’s finances will be published on Wednesday.

Armed men beat, robbed and raped young people at a Church-run summer camp near Mexico City on Friday.

The father of Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler accused of leaking confidential Vatican documents, has praised his son’s “great generosity and moral integrity” in a letter to an Italian television station.

Ross Douthat wonders if liberal Christianity has a future.

Fr Federico Lombardi says the performance by an orchestra of Israelis and Palestinians at Castel Gandolfo last week was a sign of hope.

Vincent Uher suggests that the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter is being run as “the Personal Ordinariate of Fort Worth”.

Ramon Gonzalez talks to a former drug dealer turned Ukrainian Catholic monk.

And blogger Jason L argues that “Hans Küng’s theology is the Colt 45 malt liquor of the theological world”.

For updates throughout the day follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen