Today’s Catholic must-reads: 21/11/12

Benedict XVI reflected on “the reasonableness of faith” at his general audience this morning (video).

The Pope also called on Israel and Hamas “to take courageous decisions in favour of peace” (full text).

Fides reports that 16 people are on death row and 20 people serving life sentences for alleged blasphemy offences in Pakistan.

A Californian man accused of taking part in an Islamist terror plot used to be a “hard-core Catholic”, friends have said.

Tom Roberts argues that the Vatican was wrong to dismiss female ordination supporter Roy Bourgeois from the priesthood.

George Weigel says that, unlike the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, he doesn’t worry that “the Church is 200 years behind“.

And an American atheist blogger describes what he liked and disliked after attending Mass for the first time.

Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day.