The LOOP

The Tuesday Loop - February 18, 2025

POPE FRANCIS ‘STABLE,’ BUT REQUIRES LONGER HOSPITALIZATION

Pope Francis requires a longer hospital stay than was anticipated, the Holy See Press Office stated yesterday. “All tests carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require appropriate hospitalization,” Vatican News reported.

REPORT: REASON FOR TRUMP'S CRACKDOWN ON ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS

Tommy Valentine, director of CatholicVote’s Catholic Accountability Project, “is praising President Donald Trump for his efforts to crack down on anti-Christian bias, pointing to the hundreds of attacks on churches over the last four years,” The Daily Wire reported. Valentine has tracked hundreds of attacks on Catholic institutions, ranging from vandalism to arson.

PLANE FLYING FROM US CRASH LANDS UPSIDE-DOWN IN TORONTO

A Delta Air Lines plane crashed at Toronto Pearson Airport yesterday, injuring numerous passengers flying from the U.S. Fifteen people were treated for injuries, and three were transported to a hospital. A local official described the wounds of the hospitalized as “critical, non-life-threatening injuries,” adding that the rest walked away “with cuts and scrapes, nothing serious at all.”

DOGE: MILLIONS AGED 100+ LISTED AS SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS DOGE revealed

Sunday that the Social Security database contains records for tens of millions of individuals over the age of 100. More than 4.7 million are between the ages of 100 and 109, while millions more fall within the 110-159 age range. One entry records an individual as being between 360 and 369 years old.

NYTIMES: ‘BOTCHED’ SURGERY, ‘POOR CARE’ AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD

The New York Times over the weekend reported on “scores of allegations” that have been plaguing Planned Parenthood facilities throughout the country. Customers are reporting “poor care,” “botched” procedures, and staff who seem not to have been adequately trained.

CARDINAL DOLAN SPENDS LONG LAYOVER WITH LOCALS

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, spent two days in Newfoundland, Canada, when his flight to Dublin, Ireland, was diverted due to a passenger’s medical emergency. “Thank you to the gracious people of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland, who took me in after my flight to Ireland was grounded,” he wrote on X.

LOOPcast JD

Vance is making waves with his comments on free speech. Jeremy Tate joins us to talk about what the next steps are for education in America. Finally, is the NYTimes turning pro-life? And the Gulf of America may not be the only renamed body of water… All this and more on the LOOPcast!

SO MUCH NEWS

Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • Alabama’s governor signed a bill stating there are two genders. • A Brazilian Catholic archdiocese let a female ‘priest’ concelebrate Mass. • A pro-life leader reflects on the Trump administration thus far.

HERE’S HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL REVEAL YOUR LENTEN PENANCES

Scripture says, “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the Devil.” Join us to ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, too, into your Lenten penances, rather than choosing them yourself. This is the 6th year Holy Heroes is hosting our pre-Lent Novena to the Holy Spirit. Sign up to receive the novena prayers each morning. Novena begins Feb 24.

GET YOUR FATHER LEOPOLD BRICK SET NOW SHOP

CHINESE COMMUNIST REGIME PUNISHES BISHOP FOR SAYING MASS

A Chinese Catholic bishop has been punished by the government for celebrating Mass in public without federal authorization. His penalties include a fine for the U.S. equivalent of $27,500 and the demolition of his residence and the chapel where he celebrated Mass.

ILLINOIS DIOCESE MERGES PARISHES AMID DECLINING ATTENDANCE

The Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, is closing and merging parishes as a result of declining Mass attendance, insufficient donations, and an aging priest population. The restructuring plan will affect 20 parishes and two worship sites.

A NEIGHBORHOOD'S TRANSFORMATION

Spark Tank is a project run by Benedictine College of Atchison, Kansas, in economically depressed urban areas. Inspired by the show "Shark Tank" but with a Christian bent, Spark Tank links entrepreneurs and philanthropists to transform struggling communities.

CATHOLIC 101

Can you find God in February? It’s a universally detested month. The Roman word meant “purification,” the Medieval English word meant “mud month,” and many other names for February refer to ice. But Tom Hoopes explains how we can reach into the meaningful depths of the month.

SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Flavian (d. 449), the patriarch (archbishop) of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Pope St. Leo the Great. Like St. Leo, Flavian ardently defended the dual nature of Christ as fully God and fully man. He was mortally wounded and martyred after being viciously beaten by a mob of heretical monks.

DAILY PSALM

“The Lord will bless his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

DAILY READINGS

Today's Mass readings.

PRAYER

Let us remember to keep Pope Francis in our prayers this week as he continues his hospital stay.