The LOOP

The Friday Loop - January 23, 2026

POPE SENDS MESSAGE TO MARCH FOR LIFE PARTICIPANTS

The Vatican yesterday reportedly released a statement from Pope Leo to participants in the 53rd annual March for Life. The message extended "warm" greetings, offered the Holy Father's apostolic blessing, and reminded young people that “the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right.”

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS FUNDING FOR 'FETAL TISSUE' RESEARCH

The federal government is shutting off funding for research that uses tissue from the bodies of aborted babies. CatholicVote’s Tom McClusky celebrated the decision, stating, “The Trump administration deserves high praise for recognizing every human being deserves dignity, born and unborn, in life as in death.”

ARRESTED OVER ANTI-ICE PROTEST AT CHURCH

Federal authorities yesterday arrested three individuals in connection with an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a Sunday church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jan. 18. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests on X, stating: "WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP."

STARTING HOMESCHOOLING MIDYEAR? START HERE

Not returning to school after the holidays? You’re not alone—and it’s not too late. This article shares practical tips to help Catholic families start homeschooling midyear with confidence, including how to ease the transition, choose curriculum wisely, and use flexible online courses to get started now.

ADMIN PROBES PLANNED PARENTHOOD COVID RELIEF FUNDS

The federal Small Business Administration is probing abortion giant Planned Parenthood to find out if its affiliates improperly took out $88 million in COVID relief loans, most of which were later forgiven. The loans were intended for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Planned Parenthood Federation of America has over 12,000.

A YOUNG MOTHER REFLECTS ON THE MARCH

CatholicVote's Grace Porto won't be able to make it to the March for Life this year, but she has written a beautiful reflection on its theme: "Life is a gift." She and her husband understood early on that "children are a gift in the same way that our marriage was a gift – something that God gave to us that we didn’t deserve," she writes. "And all He asked of us was our trust."

STATE DEPT TO EXPAND PRO-LIFE MEXICO CITY POLICY

The State Department is expected to expand today the pro-life Mexico City Policy, which prevents US taxpayer dollars from supporting abortion overseas. The policy shift will reportedly also extend the restrictions to programs tied to controversial gender ideology and DEI programs.

FAITH FORGED IN BEAUTY!

Sacred art. Eternal form. Laser-etched metal holy cards created for a life of prayer and devotion — from timeless classics to spiritual warfare. 17 designs to choose from.

GAZA BOARD OF PEACE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED

President Donald Trump officially launched his international Board of Peace for Gaza yesterday during a signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Officials at the event outlined reconstruction proposals for the war-torn territory, marking a further expansion into Phase Two of the administration’s ceasefire plan.

BISHOP TELLS DRAMATIC CONVERSION STORY AT PRO-LIFE VIGIL

Speaking at the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, reflected on his own conversion and the Church’s understanding of abortion as a foundational moral issue. “I have not always been pro-life," he confessed.

THE MOST HEALING HOBBIES

In the winters of life, whether meteorological or emotional, taking up the hobbies we tend to associate with our grandmothers — knitting, baking bread, fiddling with watercolors, reading — will inevitably bring sunlight to our inner lives.

REST IN PEACE, JOHN ALLEN

John L. Allen Jr., a veteran Vatican journalist and editor-in-chief of Crux, died in Rome yesterday after a three-year battle with stomach cancer. He was 61 years old. In response to the news, Bishop Robert Barron described Allen as “the dean of Catholic journalists in the English-speaking world.” Allen is survived by his wife, Elise Ann Allen, Crux’s senior Rome correspondent.

SAINT OF THE DAY

Today the Church honors St. Marianne Cope, a German-born American religious sister who lived in New York. She eventually left the mainland to care for suffering people in Hawaii. She is now best known for heroically serving at a hospital for lepers alongside St. Damian of Molokai.

DAILY PSALM

"Have mercy on me, God, have mercy." (Psalm 57)

DAILY READINGS

Today's Mass readings.

THE DEEP

“For faster service, try our customer service portal.” Big Tech’s AI rush is the next step in stripping humanity from customer service – promising speed and efficiency. But the data show something darker: collapsing trust, rising customer rage, and dehumanized systems people can’t escape. In this episode of, Erika breaks down why we all hate AI customer service, who benefits, and why monopolies are betting you have nowhere else to go.