Our Takes Daily

No reason for concern
New York Times (registration site)
Papal biographer John Allen writes that Pope Benedict XVI’s forthcoming moto proprio on the Tridentine Mass will upset both “liberal” and “conservative” camps in the Church. However, “[Pope] Benedict, a quintessential realist, will probably be among the few who understand right away that his ruling is not terribly earth-shattering. Sources close to the pope I have spoken to say his modest ambition is that over time, the old Mass will exert a ‘gravitational pull’ on the new one, drawing it toward greater sobriety and reverence.”

It’s still illegal to be Christian in Malaysia
BBC.com
Malaysia's highest court has rejected a Muslim convert's six-year battle to be legally recognized as a Christian. A three-judge panel ruled that only the country's Sharia Court could let Azlina Jailani, now known as Lina Joy, remove the word Islam from her identity card. Joy is a convert to Christianity. Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of worship but says all ethnic Malays are Muslim. Under Sharia law, Muslims are not allowed to convert.

Yes, Jesus can sell novels
Washington Post (registration site)
Ron Charles reviews Tim Farrington’s sequel to his popular “The Monk Downstairs.” The new novel, titled “The Monk Upstairs” continues featuring prayer and faith in Jesus and a main character who loves the Catholic Church. The popular secular novel is unique because it includes these things in a genre that usually avoids them despite the fact that the majority of Americans say they pray, according to Charles.