The United Nations must take urgent steps to guarantee the safety of the Middle East's religious minorities, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN in New York has said. The disappearance of Iraqi Christians "would have disastrous consequences for the entire world", Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has told Iraqi president Fuad Masum. A "great number" of synod fathers object to the conclusions of the synod's mid-term report, Cardinal Raymond Burke has said. Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops' conference, has also strongly criticised the text. The new issue of a magazine produced by ISIS features its black flag flying over St Peter's Square (full text). Elizabeth Dias, Austen Ivereigh, Fr James Martin SJ, Robert Mickens, Jeffrey Miller, Irene Niravalambana, Gerard O'Connell, Rocco Palmo, Elizabeth Scalia, John Thavis and Mark Shea comment on the synod's mid-term report. And America magazine is sponsoring a $25,000 annual literary prize. Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day.