The LOOP

The Friday Loop - April 17, 2026

TRUMP SAYS MEETING WITH POPE LEO 'NOT NECESSARY' TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES

Defending his criticism of the Holy Father's stance on the Iran war, President Donald Trump told reporters he has the right to disagree with the Pope — and that a face-to-face meeting is not needed to work it out.

IRAN HAS 'AGREED' TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON

President Donald Trump said Iran has “agreed” not to develop or possess a nuclear weapon. He added that the U.S. has “a very good relationship with Iran right now,” which he thinks is because of “a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade.”

EXCLUSIVE: CATHOLICS RECLAIM ENVIRONMENTALISM

Zeale's McKenna Snow sat down with the co-founder of Vita et Terra, a new Catholic organization challenging the "throwaway culture" that discards both the unborn and the land — and making the case that authentic environmentalism and the pro-life cause cannot be separated.

BOMB THREAT CALLED IN TO POPE LEO'S BROTHER'S HOME

Police in a Chicago suburb responded to a report of a bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, the Pope's brother, and found it to be unsubstantiated.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES 10-DAY ISRAEL-LEBANON CEASEFIRE

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to pause fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, effective last night at 5 p.m. ET. President Donald Trump said, "It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let's, GET IT DONE!"

RECORD NUMBER OF YOUNG MEN DISCERN THE CALL TO BE CATHOLIC MILITARY CHAPLAINS

Thirty-eight prospective chaplains gathered at St. Patrick's Seminary in California for a retreat on the "vocation within a vocation" of serving as both a Catholic priest and a U.S. military chaplain.

VIRGINIA MOVES US CLOSER TO ELECTING PRESIDENTS BY POPULAR VOTE

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill joining a multistate pact that would award the presidency to whoever wins the national popular vote, bypassing the Electoral College without a constitutional amendment. Every state in the compact so far is Democrat-led.

SAVE THE DATE

A culture actively working against your faith is forming your children right now. On May 2nd, Road to Purity launches a campaign to build the program that Catholic parents have been waiting for, and you're invited to be part of making it happen.

TRUMP ADMIN CANCELS $11M CONTRACT WITH MIAMI CATHOLIC CHARITY

The 60-year-old Catholic Charities program for unaccompanied migrant children in Miami faces shutdown within three months after the Department of Health and Human Services ended its federal contract. Archbishop Wenski called it "baffling" to cut a program that the government "would be hard-pressed to replicate."

FORMER VIRGINIA LT. GOV. KILLS WIFE, THEN SELF, POLICE SAY

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, in their home early April 16 before killing himself, authorities said, as their teenage children were inside and the couple was in the midst of a contentious divorce.

NOT TO BE MISSED...

Here are the stories we couldn't fit in today's LOOP.

I TRIED THE FIAT90 CHALLENGE — HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

Fiat90 is a 90-day Catholic challenge combining 21 fasts for body, mind, and soul, from daily workouts to the 54-day Rosary Novena. Zeale's Ava Cilento tried it and came away with an unexpected lesson about humility.

CATHOLIC 101

This reflection from Dominican Brother Benedict Mary Bartsch O.P., explores why St. Thomas the Apostle is remembered for his doubt — but argues his real legacy is his confession of faith: the only moment in the Gospels where someone directly calls Jesus "God."

SAINT OF THE DAY

After years searching for a more authentic monastic life, Saint Stephen Harding helped shape what became the Cistercian Order — a reform movement marked by simplicity, manual labor, and strict fidelity to the Rule of St. Benedict.

DAILY PSALM

"One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord." (Psalm 27)

DAILY READINGS

Today's Mass readings.

LOOPcast

Trump doubles down after a clash with Pope Leo over the Iran war. Meanwhile, a bombshell report reveals troubling details about Biden-era FACE Act prosecutions. And finally, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts make history. All this and more on the!