The LOOP
The Friday Loop - July 18, 2025
ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA CATHOLIC PARISH, KILLING 3, WOUNDING PASTOR
Israeli forces struck Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, killing three and wounding the pastor. Pope Leo made a statement mourning the attack. After President Donald Trump reportedly called the Israeli prime minister to take him to task over the strike, Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement of "regret" that "a stray ammunition" hit the church.
ADMIN HANDS MEDICAID DATA TO ICE TO FACILITATE DEPORTATIONS
The Trump administration recently granted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials access to Medicaid enrollee data in an effort to help identify illegal immigrants receiving taxpayer-funded benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 1.4 million enrollees do not meet legal immigration or citizenship requirements for eligibility.
TRUMP ADMIN TO CUT OFF HOSPITALS THAT 'MUTILATE' CHILDREN
The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to cut off federal funding for hospitals that subject children to “gender transition” procedures. An official said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is in “the final stage of review for a new rule that would make it a condition of hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid that they not provide sex trait modifications to minors," the National Review reports.
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES TRUMP DIAGNOSIS
Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a circulatory condition affecting blood flow in the legs, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday.
HHS CONFRONTS JUDGE FOR PROTECTING ABORTION FUNDING
The Health Department issued a scathing legal memo this week condemning a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the Trump administration’s one-year ban on taxpayer dollars going to Planned Parenthood. “Planned Parenthood has no right to taxpayer money, and this Court should not invent such a right,” wrote HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the memo.
DOJ DROPS CHARGES AGAINST DOCTOR WHO SKIRTED COVID SHOT MANDATES
The Trump Department of Justice has dismissed the charges brought against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, Jr., and three associates, who helped patients avoid mandated COVID shots. Moore and his colleagues were charged with disposing of “more than $28,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines,” faking at least 2,000 fake vaccination cards, and injecting children – at their parents’ request – with saline solution in place of the mRNA shots.
EIGHT BABIES BORN USING DNA OF THREE ADULTS
The DNA of three adults was used to produce four boys and four girls through mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT), which begins with IVF, and those children have been born. Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop on Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, responded strongly to the first confirmed UK birth from MDT in 2023, saying the news of a “three parent baby” was “deeply concerning.”
STAND UP FOR AMERICA
At a time when so many seem to enjoy bashing the very country that gives them the freedom to complain, we recommend shining a light that pierces such dark talk and reveals the spirit in the heart of most Americans. Speak out loud and proud wherever you go in this bold, top-quality tee.
CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE FIGHTS LGBTQ SPEECH LAW
A Christian bookstore in Colorado is suing over a new law that makes it a crime not to use LGBTQ pronouns.
CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER CONFRONTS DISCRIMINATION IN INDIA
A prominent Catholic newspaper in India’s Kerala state recently criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party for having “double standards,” as the party seeks Christian support in Kerala while ignoring persecution in other parts of the country.
FOR LADIES VEILING AT MASS
Thinking about veiling at Mass but not sure yet? Check out this guide (including tips on color!).
CATHOLIC 101
Is college just a waste of money for a woman who only wants to be a wife and mother? Does higher education do more harm than good for women? Emily Stimpson Chapman weighs in.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today we celebrate Saint Camillus de Lellis, who turned from his life as a soldier and gambler to become the founder of an order dedicated to caring for the sick.
DAILY PSALM
"I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
THE DEEP
In this episode of, Erika Ahern – mother of seven – answers the accusation that MOTHERHOOD IS MISERY. Is the modern woman just weak? Did the sexual revolution free women or enslave them? Finally, what is politics doing to help… or hinder?