The LOOP
The Wednesday Loop - February 12, 2025
POPE WRITES LETTER TO US BISHOPS ON IMMIGRATION ISSUE
Pope Francis sent an unexpected letter to U.S. bishops denouncing “any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.” Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan responded in part: “He has a wall around the Vatican … but we can’t have a wall around the United States?”
TRUMP PUSHES TEXAS HOUSE TO PASS SCHOOL CHOICE BILL
President Donald Trump pressed House lawmakers in Texas to pass a school choice bill already approved in the state Senate. “The Texas House must now pass School Choice to deliver a gigantic Victory for Texas students and parents,” Trump wrote. “I will be watching them closely. We need School Choice passed in every State!”
MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE DROPPED AFTER PRO-LIFE LAWS "CDC data show a decline in maternal mortality since 2022 and a decline in infant mortality since 2023," pro-life researcher Michael New recently wrote. "Overall, it is sad, but unsurprising, that many media outlets have chosen to downplay the positive public health trends that have occurred post-Dobbs.”
FEMA EMPLOYEES FIRED FOR SPENDING $59M ON MIGRANT HOUSING
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fired four Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees for sending $59 million to luxury New York hotels in order to house illegal migrants. DHS stated it “will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people.”
MUSK TAKES QUESTIONS ALONG WITH TRUMP IN OVAL OFFICE
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk and his 4-year-old son X Æ A-Xii joined Trump Tuesday for a press conference in the Oval Office. Musk said his goal is to dismantle the “unelected bureaucracy” in Washington and bring down the national deficit by cutting waste.
ARMY RECRUITMENT SPIKES AFTER TRUMP REELECTION
After two years of failing to meet recruitment targets, the Army reported historically high enlistment numbers directly following the reelection of President Donald Trump. The Army in December had its most productive recruitment month in 15 years, enlisting an average of 346 soldiers daily.
OFFICIALS CONSIDER PULLING COVID SHOTS IN 8 STATES
Lawmakers in at least eight states are currently considering measures to pull COVID-19 mRNA shots from the market over safety concerns. Measures “at various levels of government are being considered in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Texas, Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida,” Dr. Susan Berry reports for CatholicVote.
SO MUCH NEWS
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit it today’s LOOP: • 100 lawmakers joined a bipartisan DOGE Caucus. • The New Hampshire House blocked a pro-life bill. • A man attempted to stab a priest during Mass in Canada.
BOOK
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OFFICIALS VOTE TO SCRUB CATHOLIC HERO’S NAME FROM BUILDING
DuPage County officials voted yesterday to remove the name of the late Republican Rep. Henry Hyde from the Chicago county’s Wheaton courthouse, citing his pro-life legacy. The Catholic lawmaker is best known for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions in most cases.
MASS ATTENDANCE FINALLY BACK TO PRE-COVID LEVELS
Weekly Mass attendance has finally returned to pre-COVID levels across the U.S., according to a February report from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
THE SACRAMENT THAT HAUNTED HAMLET
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” features a chilling moment that only makes sense in light of a thoroughly Catholic understanding of the sacrament of penance: Hamlet plots the ultimate revenge by planning to kill his enemy not just after he’d been to confession (which would only send him to Heaven) but later, when death could damn him. how “Hamlet” is haunted by the sacrament of confession here.
CATHOLIC 101
Growing up today can be pretty tough for kids. There are a lot of voices pulling them this way and that. To help parents guide their children along the right path, here are six saints to introduce to them.
SAINT OF THE DAY
St. Julian the Hospitaller lived during the 4th century. According to legend, a dark prophecy foretold Julian would kill his parents. He left his family in order to circumvent the prophecy, but accidentally killed his mother and father nonetheless. Devastated, he devoted the rest of his life to helping people, setting up a hostel and hospital along the routes taken by soldiers. Eventually, he and his wife were murdered by thieves.
DAILY PSALM
“O bless the Lord, my soul!” (Psalm 104:1)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
HISTORY
Cincinnati's Bishop John Baptist Purcell was not one to turn down a theological debate. In 1837 he took on noted revivalist preacher Alexander Campbell in a public debate over whether the Catholic Church is truly the Church of Christ. more about one of Catholicism’s greatest apologists here!