The LOOP
The Wednesday Loop - September 24, 2025
BISHOP ISSUES REBUKE OF CARDINAL CUPICH OVER DURBIN AWARD
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, has issued a formal call for Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago to reverse a decision to honor a pro-abortion politician he says “threatens to scandalize the faithful and injure the bonds of ecclesial communion.” Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco also spoke out against honoring the senator.
TRUMP'S WOULD-BE ASSASSIN FOUND GUILTY
A federal jury yesterday convicted Ryan Wesley Routh of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump in a 2024 sniper plot. Jurors found him guilty on five federal counts, and he now faces up to life in prison.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP'S UNITED NATIONS ADDRESS
At the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Trump denounced globalism, discussed the ongoing violence in Gaza and Ukraine, warned Europe over mass migration, and called attention to persecuted Christians worldwide. Here are the highlights from Trump's UN address.
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TRUMP: UKRAINE CAN WIN WAR
After a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday, Trump said Ukraine “is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” from Russia. "Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act," he said.
NYC CATHEDRAL ARTWORK HONORS OUR LADY OF KNOCK
Cardinal Timothy Dolan unveiled a 25-foot-tall mural at New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral last week. The mural is the largest permanent artwork in the church’s 146-year history and honors Our Lady of Knock, Catholic saints, the city’s law enforcement, and immigrants.
SECRET SERVICE THWARTS PLOT TO DISRUPT NYC CELL NETWORK
The Secret Service said yesterday it dismantled a vast network of telecommunications servers around New York City that posed an “imminent threat” to protective operations during the UN General Assembly.
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LOU HOLTZ SHARES A MESSAGE!
See what Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz says is one of his favorite all-time quotes, and why it leads him to invest with Ave Maria Mutual.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION THRIVES IN TENNESSEE
After 30 years serving Catholic schools primarily in central Tennessee through tuition assistance, recent legal changes at the state level now allow the Advancement of Catholic Education Endowment Fund to help schools build and beautify campuses.
CARDINAL MÜLLER SPEAKS ON KIRK'S ASSASSINATION
In an interview with Rome-based journalist Diane Montagna, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, addressed a number of topics including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a recent drone show outside St. Peter’s Basilica, and the “LGBT Jubilee pilgrimage” that occurred this month at the Vatican.
NOT TO BE MISSED
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • Two major broadcasting groups are refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel. • The Department of War scraps Pentagon committee pushing feminism and abortion. • Op-ed: What the pro-life movement can learn from Charlie Kirk.
O'CONNOR'S PARENTING ADVICE
Flannery O’Connor didn’t just write stories about convicts, grotesque physical deformities, and stolen turkeys — she also gave some parenting advice. With children, we should be more focused on forming their tastes than catering to their tastes. Here’s what this looks like in the small and big moments of child-rearing.
CATHOLIC 101
In some translations of the Bible, Simeon's prediction to Mary that a sword will pierce her heart is placed in parentheses, in the middle of a sentence. Why is this? It speaks to something deeply human about the nature of grief and the way that Mary bore it. By observing the way she experienced the depths of grief, we can let her share in ours and let her teach us how to handle it well.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today the Church honors Blessed Anton Martin Slomshek, the first Slovenian to be beatified. He is known for transforming education by restoring Catholic culture and promoting literacy. Remembered also for his humility, he once said he desired at death "only to be in the state of grace and worthy of salvation."
DAILY PSALM
"Blessed be God, who lives for ever." (Tobit 13)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
SUIT UP FOR BATTLE
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