Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has said that “evading dialogue with the Catholic Church now would be wrong". Italian police have seized 3,500 counterfeit papal blessing parchments that were being sold to Year of Mercy pilgrims. Pope Francis has “opened the door” to intercommunion, Pastor Jens Kruse of Rome's Evangelical Lutheran Church has said. Fritz Bauerschmidt reports on the installation of Jozef De Kesel as the new Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Massimo Faggioli says the German Church is strikingly "cohesive and consensual rather than fragmented and polarised, as some other churches are". Andrea Gagliarducci argues that "it is paradoxically those who are closest to the Pope who are trying to push him not to carry out certain reforms". And Fr Dwight Longenecker explains why TS Eliot loved St John of the Cross Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day. The next Morning Catholic must-reads will be on Wednesday, December 30.