The LOOP

The Monday Loop - August 25, 2025

VANCE: RUSSIA HAS MADE 'SIGNIFICANT CONCESSIONS'

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday told an interviewer that Russia has made "significant concessions" and that President Donald Trump has brought the war in Ukraine much closer to an end.

CNN: CLINTON EVENT HONORED MAXWELL AFTER ACCUSATIONS

Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime accomplice of notorious rapist and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, was honored at a Clinton Global Initiative event in 2013. The event took place years after the now-convicted Maxwell was first accused of numerous acts of sexual abuse.

RFK ANNOUNCES NEW SYSTEM FOR REPORTING VAX INJURIES

"The Food and Drug Administration on Friday started to publicly report adverse events to drugs and some vaccines in real time, a change FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said promotes 'radical transparency,'" The Daily Wire reported.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: CHRISTIAN MEETINGS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

A judge this month ordered a California school district to allow a Christian evangelization ministry to hold religious educational meetings at public schools after school hours. The religious freedom victory comes after the school district claimed the group's religious nature would make the meetings inappropriate for public school property.

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REPORTS: POPE TO SHARE PAPAL APARTMENT WITH AUGUSTINIANS

Since his election, Pope Leo has drawn attention for his embrace of old papal traditions. But he may soon break with one very ancient custom: papal solitude. Reports suggest he plans to bring a small number of Augustinian friars into the Apostolic Palace, creating a shared religious household at the Vatican instead of living alone.

UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRANTS HIT RECORD HIGH UNDER BIDEN

The number of unauthorized immigrants in the US reached a record number of 14 million in 2023, President Joe Biden's third year in office. The Pew Research Center reported this month that the all-time high of illegal immigrants in 2023 was up 3.5 million from just two years earlier.

STATUE ERECTED NEAR CARLO ACUTIS' GRAVE

Just weeks before his canonization, a bronze sculpture of Blessed Carlo Acutis was installed near his resting place in Assisi, depicting the millennial saint kneeling before Christ while holding a laptop—a symbol of his Eucharistic devotion and evangelism.

MYANMAR DICTATORSHIP TARGETS RELIGIOUS SITES

A leaked document to religious leaders in Myanmar stated that the country’s military dictatorship aims to destroy a historic cathedral and several Buddhist religious sites as part of its plans to excavate an ancient city.

POPE LEO GIVES CHALLENGING ANGELUS ADDRESS

Pope Leo warned in his Angelus address yesterday that Jesus "challenges the certainty of believers.” The only truly authentic faith is the faith that we allow to become "the foundation of our choices," making us "willing to take risks in love, just as Jesus did.”

CARDINAL DOLAN: WHY YOUTH ARE RETURNING TO MASS

Why are so many young people filling Catholic pews? Cardinal Timothy Dolan says witnesses like Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis, thriving ministries, and a deep hunger for truth all play a role.

CATHOLIC 101

Many saints have talked about the importance of humility when we pray. Each has his or her own perspective. Here's how Saint Teresa of Avila sees it, calling to mind the Our Father, the Garden of Gethsemane, and our own human nature.

SAINT OF THE DAY

Today, the Church honors Saint Louis IX of France, a Catholic king, husband, and father who secretly spent long hours in prayer, fasting, and penance. "The peace and blessings of the realm come to us through the poor," he said, and his great charity and love of justice were so unmistakable that all of 13th-century Christian Europe looked to him as a moral judge and guide.

DAILY PSALM

"The Lord takes delight in his people." (Psalm 149)

DAILY READINGS

Today's Mass readings.

TRUTH

"Clarity, not ambiguity." Amen! VIEW & SHARE