Morning Catholic must-reads: 31/08/12

Fr Benedict Groeschel, the 79-year-old co-founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, has apologised for comments he made about abuse victims, saying “my mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be“.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York prayed for “those yet to be born” at the end of the Republican convention yesterday.

The Holy See has dropped a case against a German satirical magazine that depicted Pope Benedict XVI in soiled clothes.

Thousands of Catholic teachers are preparing to strike in Australia over a pay dispute.

Fr Stephen Wang marvels at the faith of young Catholics in an English village “on the very outer fringes of nowhere”.

Tim Drake says that the “three-parent families” predicted by traditional marriage supporters are becoming a reality.

And animal rights activists have disrupted a Mass in the Peruvian capital Lima, accusing a priest of “murdering” a stray cat.

For updates throughout the day follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen