The International Eucharistic Congress in Ireland last year boosted the local economy by €33m ($42.5m, £28m), organisers have said. The Vatican has loaned a vial of Blessed John Paul II's blood for veneration at a church in Rio de Janeiro (video). Church authorities in Malaysia have filed an application to strike out the government’s appeal against a ruling allowing a Catholic newspaper to use the word "Allah". The Church in Singapore has promised a full investigation of clerical abuse allegations dating back to the mid-1990s. David Brooks says the power of Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor’s 2007 book A Secular Age is undimmed. American political commentator E J Dionne argues that Pope Francis is "a brilliant politician". And Jason Bach offers a brief visual Catholic history of the internet. Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day.