The LOOP
The Tuesday Loop - March 31, 2026
TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
IRAN WAR DAY 31: TRUMP THREATENS 'OBLITERATION'
President Donald Trump threatened yesterday morning to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if the Middle Eastern nation does not "immediately" open the Strait of Hormuz. In the evening, however, the Wall Street Journal reported the President had told aides he is willing to end the war without securing the waterway.
HOLY LAND LEADERS PREPARE TO CELEBRATE TRIDUUM
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land issued a joint statement yesterday thanking Israeli officials for rectifying the situation after national police had barred Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and three other clerics from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. “Especially in times of hardship and conflict, such as those presently endured, safeguarding the freedom of worship remains a fundamental and shared duty," the statement in part.
CHRISTIANS SUFFER IN MANY REGIONS AS HOLY WEEK ARRIVES
Violence and sectarian pressure targeting Christian communities across Africa and the Middle East have continued in the days leading up to Holy Week, with deadly attacks in Nigeria on Palm Sunday, a sectarian rampage in Syria, ongoing settler incursions in the West Bank, and continued displacement of Christians in Lebanon.
'MASSIVE COMPLEX' BEING BUILT UNDER WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM
Trump revealed this week that the U.S. military is constructing a sweeping underground complex beneath the new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, describing the project as a security measure that only became public through a lawsuit challenging the building’s approval.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COMMISSION BILL ADVANCES IN HOUSE
A bipartisan bill to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cleared a key hurdle, passing unanimously out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and advancing to the House floor. The legislation would extend the commission’s work monitoring global religious persecution and advising U.S. leaders through 2028.
CARDINAL BURKE: PATRIOTISM ROOTED IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE
In a new episode of his “Virtue of Patriotism” series, Cardinal Raymond Burke said love of one’s homeland is a response to God’s providence, formed through family, culture, and nation. The episode, released ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, also warns against ideologies that detach people from their roots. It closes with a prayer for the nation.
JURY SAYS META HARMED CHILDREN, VIOLATED LAW
A New Mexico jury ruled that Meta Platforms knowingly harmed children’s mental health and violated state consumer protection law. The company now must pay $375 million in civil penalties.
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HUGE HOLY WEEK OPPORTUNITY
Get the FREE guide that shows how to obtain 6 plenary indulgences for yourself and your deceased loved ones in Purgatory. Each day in Holy Week has unique plenary indulgences to help you make the most of the holiest week of the year! PS: this FREE download includes BONUS activities for kids!
POPE IN MONACO: ‘EVERY LIFE CUT SHORT WOUNDS CHRIST’
During a visit to Monaco, Pope Leo XIV urged peace and warned against the “logic of oppression,” saying “every life cut short wounds the body of Christ.” The Pontiff also called on the wealthy principality to use its prosperity for justice and the defense of human life.
COSCTO GETS INTO IVF INDUSTRY
Costco announced this month it will give members discounted access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, and intrauterine insemination.
HOW TO GET THROUGH HOLY WEEK WITH KIDS
Worried about getting through Holy Week's longer liturgies and services with little ones? Here’s a practical guide to help your family get the most out of the holiest days of the year.
CATHOLIC 101
Latin for “shadow” or “darkness,” Tenebrae is a stark Holy Week liturgy in which candles are extinguished one by one until the church is plunged into darkness, a final flame hidden to symbolize Christ’s burial before a loud noise recalls the earthquake at His death. Zeale’s Grace Porto explains the history of this profound tradition.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today is Tuesday of Holy Week, but March 31 is also the regular feast day of the 13th-century French religious Blessed Jane of Toulouse, who became the first Carmelite tertiary after meeting St. Simon Stock and dedicating her life to prayer, poverty, and service to the sick. Known for her gentleness, she is remembered as the foundress of the Carmelite Third Order.
DAILY PSALM
"I will sing of your salvation." (Psalm 71)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
PRAY WITH ZEALE
Journey through Holy Week by praying the Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori with Fr. Darrin Merlino, CMF, at The Mission of San Gabriel in California.
