The LOOP
The Friday Loop - October 10, 2025
TRUMP: HOSTAGES TO BE FREED MONDAY OR TUESDAY
Hours after announcing that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, President Donald Trump said Oct. 9 that all remaining hostages could be released as early as Monday. Trump also said he plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing ceremony of the ceasefire agreement and hopes to be present when the hostages are freed.
SPANBERGER REFUSES TO DENOUNCE JONES CANDIDACY
At Thursday's gubernatorial debate with Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger hedged against her controversial support for male participation in girls' sports and refused to denounce Jay Jones' candidacy for attorney general despite his recently-revealed murderous texts. Here are the highlights from the debate.
POPE LEO TOUTS ALMSGIVING IN 1st APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
“Our love and our deepest convictions need to be continually cultivated, and we do so through our concrete actions," Pope Leo wrote in his first apostolic exhortation, titled Dilexis Te ("I have loved you"). "Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away."
51 SENATORS CONFRONT FDA APPROVAL OF ABORTION DRUG
Fifty-one Republican senators sent a letter yesterday calling on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider their recent approval of a new generic version of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone.
ANTIFA TO BE DESIGNATED INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORG
At an Oct. 8 White House roundtable discussion on left-wing violence, Trump said he will designate Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization. He made the comment after participants in the roundtable pointed out Antifa's foreign ties.
LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM LAUDS PEACE DEAL
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem welcomed news of the Israel-Hamas peace deal as “good news,” calling it “a first step” and adding, “we hope that this is just the beginning of a new phase where we can, little by little, start thinking not about war, but about how to rebuild after the war.”
NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES INDICTED
A grand jury yesterday indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on financial fraud charges. James is known for her controversial prosecution of Trump.
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PAPAL EXHORTATION ADDRESSES IMMIGRATION, CAPITALISM
In his first doctrinal document, Pope Leo followed Pope Francis in calling for a renewed commitment of the Catholic Church to immigrants worldwide. The exhortation also criticized free market economies as “pseudoscientific.”
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLICS ATTEND TLM AFTER RESTRICTIONS
Approximately 625 members of the faithful in the Diocese of Charlotte attended the first Traditional Latin Masses (TLM) held at the Chapel of the Little Flower in Mooresville, North Carolina, over the weekend. Bishop Michael Martin recently ordered all parish-based offerings of the TLM to that single chapel. “There was still a sadness and an awkwardness, or a feeling of being in a foreign place, which is difficult to explain, but the Mass brought everyone together,” one attendee told CatholicVote.
NOT TO BE MISSED
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • The Vatican's secretary of state will preside at Mass for the first Feast of Saint Carlo Acutis. • A look at the much-needed ministry supporting single Catholic moms. • Poll: trust in media has hit a record low.
DO YOU TRUST DEMOCRATS TO KEEP YOU SAFE?
According to a new poll, if you want your government to tackle crime and keep you safe, you're in the majority. A private poll conducted for the Democratic Party reportedly also shows that most voters (of both parties!) trust Republicans more than Democrats to make the country safer.
CATHOLIC 101
It's organized into six parts (an introduction and five chapters), and was just sent out to bishops worldwide. Here's everything you need to know about Pope Leo's first apostolic exhortation.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today the Church honors Saint Francis Borgia. He was born the son of a duke in 16th-century Spain. A father of ten children, he served as a high-ranking political official in the court of Emperor Charles V. When his wife died, St. Francis became a Jesuit priest. He went on to become general of the Jesuits and led missions to evangelize the Americas.
DAILY PSALM
"The Lord will judge the world with justice." (Psalm 9)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
THE DEEP
Once dismissed as America’s lowest-ranking state in many quality of life metrics, Mississippi has quietly become one of the nation’s top-performing states in education. How did the “Mississippi Miracle” happen? In this video Erika breaks down how grit, leadership, and faith — not just funding — turned America’s poorest state into its most surprising educational success story.