The LOOP
The Wednesday Loop - April 22, 2026
TRUMP EXTENDS CEASEFIRE AFTER IRANIANS SNUB TALKS
President Donald Trump announced just hours before the U.S.-Iran ceasefire expired that he would extend the agreement in order to give the “seriously fractured” Iranian government more time to present a unified proposal. Trump said he was making the concession at the request of Pakistani mediators.
IS TRUMP'S PSYCHEDELIC DRUG ORDER GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH?
CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky is warning that Trump’s executive order authorizing research on psychedelic drugs as mental health treatments doesn’t actually put Americans’ health first. “In the case of marijuana, it was all being pushed by people who were going to financially profit," McClusky said. "I'd bet it is the same here.”
SPLC INDICTED ON FOR ALLEGEDLY FUNDING WHITE SUPREMACISTS
A grand jury delivered indictments against the Southern Poverty Law Center yesterday on federal fraud charges. The Trump Justice Department had probed the controversial left-wing advocacy group for allegedly using donor money to improperly fund white nationalist extremist groups on the pretext of cultivating informants. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the SPLC of “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”
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ISRAELI MILITARY REPLACES CRUCIFIX DESTROYED BY SOLDIER
The Israeli military said it has replaced the damaged crucifix in a southern Lebanese village, days after a uniformed soldier was photographed taking a sledgehammer to the head of a statue of the crucified Jesus Christ. An internal military investigation found that several Israeli soldiers were involved in the incident.
POPE LEO REMEMBERS FRANCIS ON 1st ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Speaking aboard the papal flight from Angola, Pope Leo XIV said his predecessor "gave so much to the Church through his life, his witness, his words, and his gestures" — urging the faithful to pray that Pope Francis "is already enjoying the Lord's mercy."
OP-ED: IVF IS A TEMPTATION, BUT THE CHURCH HAS AN ANSWER
Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead, who wrote about her own infertility journey, says Catholics are often drawn to IVF out of exhaustion and desperation — but approaches like NaPro Technology offer a path forward that upholds the Church's teaching.
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ACCESS 7 CATHOLIC MUTUAL FUNDS
With religious values guided by prominent Catholics, including Tom Monaghan, Raymond Arroyo, and Michael Knowles.
BISHOP: EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE 'ONE NATION UNDER GOD' THEME 'NOT POLITICAL'
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage along the East Coast, concluding in Philadelphia over the 4th of July weekend, is "not about political statements," Bishop Andrew Cozzens said. It's about spiritual renewal as the country marks its 250th anniversary.
FATHER WALTER CISZEK'S CANONIZATION CAUSE SUSPENDED
The Diocese of Allentown confirmed that documentation supporting the Jesuit priest's beatification did not advance after years of Vatican review, though his legacy of faith amid Soviet persecution endures.
TOP 5 COLLEGE DISCERNMENT MISTAKES
Most students weigh tuition costs, campus tours, and social media — but the most important question in college discernment is what God is asking of them.
CATHOLIC 101
When one mom forgot her rosary and used her baby's toes instead, it went viral — but the moment also reveals something true about the Rosary: it has always been a tactile prayer.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today the Church honors Sts. Caius and Soter, two popes of the early Church who both died for the faith.
DAILY PSALM
"Let all the earth cry out to God with joy." (Psalm 66)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
DON'T MISS
Father Mike Schmitz joins Zeale News' McKenna Snow to share insights on Ascension Presents' new video about the Mass and his thoughts on a major milestone for "The Bible in a Year." Check out this exclusive interview available now on Zeale.
