God will judge "the powerful of the Earth" who damage the environment and make the poor go hungry, Pope Francis said at a Mass marking the start of the Caritas general assembly yesterday (full text, full video). Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has unveiled a seven-point plan to help persecuted Christians. Vietnamese Catholics are mourning “a model bishop” who resisted communist oppression. The Catholic Church in Singapore has denied reports that it excommunicated a teenage blogger recently convicted for posts intending to hurt the feelings of Christians. John Burger, Mark Judge, Gregory Popcak and Fr Dwight Longenecker comment on a major new study suggesting Americans are rapidly becoming less Christian (full text). Fr Ray Blake explains why he loathes bidding prayers. And Michael Foley explains how to drink like a saint. Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day