Morning Catholic must-reads: 30/11/12

The Holy See has welcomed the United Nations vote granting observer status to Palestine and appealed for “an internationally guaranteed special statute” for Jerusalem (full text).

The global media has “diverted attention from the … central message” of Pope Benedict’s new book about Christ’s infancy, a theologian writing in L’Osservatore Romano has claimed.

The Vatican has stripped Fr Helmut Schüller, head of the Austrian priests’ initiative, of the title monsignor.

The group “Catholics for a Free Choice” has spent more than $13m (£8m, €10m) over the past decade pushing for abortion in Latin America, reports the Catholic News Agency.

Jonathan Aitken compares the “departing messages” of the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini and the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

C C Pecknold says that philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre is showing the way forward for American Catholics after last month’s presidential election (video of MacIntyre lecture).

And Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien talks to Vatican Radio about the glory of St Andrew, whose feast is celebrated today.

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