POLL: DEMS NOT KEEN ON FREE SPEECH; PARENTS SUE VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT;NEWSOM VETOES RADICAL ‘TRANS’ BILL; POLICE APOLOGIZE TO UK PRO-LIFER;CRUZ CALLS ON TEXAS TO PASS SCHOOL CHOICE

 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 FRANCIS: ‘YOU DON’T PLAY WITH LIFE’  Pope Francis condemned euthanasia and abortion as actions that “play with life” and said there is such a thing as “bad compassion” during a press conference aboard the papal plane Saturday. “You don’t play with life, neither at the beginning nor at the end. It is not played with!” he said.  READ AOC SAYS MENENDEZ SHOULD RESIGN Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, called on Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, to resign on Sunday, saying the indictment against her fellow Democrat is "extremely serious." Menendez and his wife were indicted last week on bribery charges. According to the indictment, the couple accepted "hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using Menendez's power and influence as a senator to seek to protect and enrich” three businessmen “and to benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt." READ POLL: DEMS NOT KEEN ON FREE SPEECH  A new RealClearOpinion Research poll found stark differences between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to censorship and free speech. Forty-seven percent of Democrats say free speech should be legal “only under certain circumstances.” Thirty-four percent of Democrats say Americans “have too much freedom,” while 75% say the government has a responsibility to censor “hateful” social media posts.  READ PARENTS SUE VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT  Two parents filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Beach School Board last week for voting down proposed policies that pertain to keeping parents informed about their children’s involvement in gender ideology. The state’s Department of Education released the model policies in July and the school board opted out of adopting them in August.  READ NEWSOM VETOES RADICAL ‘TRANS’ BILL  In a surprise move, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed judges to consider whether a parent “affirms” a child’s “gender identity” as a factor in custody battles. In his veto message, Newsom said the bill might have been used to limit the “civil rights of vulnerable minorities.”  READ POLICE APOLOGIZE TO UK PRO-LIFER  Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, the woman twice arrested for silent prayer outside U.K. abortion facilities, has received a police apology and confirmation that she will not face charges for violating a local “buffer zone” order. The local police apologized for taking so long to close her second case and said there would be no further action taken.  READ CRUZ CALLS ON TEXAS TO PASS SCHOOL CHOICE  Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says the Lone Star State must provide school choice to its residents. “I think this year is the best opportunity of your and my lifetime for the state legislature to pass a real and serious school choice program, to provide every child in Texas with hope and access to an excellent education,” he said Saturday.  READ MERCH  Wear your prayer while you defend your faith! CatholicVote's new St. Michael tee is selling fast. Get yours today.  CLICK FRENCH PRIEST ADMONISHES SYNOD ATTENDEES  Fr. Luc de Bellescize, a prominent and well-respected French priest, says the choice of some clergymen to embrace worldliness to the detriment of divine Revelation has already provoked a form of schism in the Church. “The Church is not the creator of itself, and we don’t have to define our own moral criteria, but listen to the Lord’s command,” de Bellescize says.  READ CANADIAN BISHOPS TO ADDRESS EUTHANASIA  Catholic bishops in Canada will gather this week to discuss a series of issues, including the growth of euthanasia. The 2023 Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), which is held annually, begins today and concludes on Thursday.  READ TOLKIEN-STYLE PARENTING  We all know the big, famous works of J.R.R. Tolkien, but his lesser-known books are also fascinating. Two of these are especially interesting to parents: Letters from Father Christmas and Mr. Bliss. Tolkien wrote both for his children, and they give glimpses into his approach to parenting. Here’s how.  READ CATHOLIC 101  "To understand history is to cease to be Protestant." St. John Henry Newman understood that the key to embracing the true Church founded by Jesus Christ was a love of the story of God's action in human history. Catholics who don't know their own history risk losing their faith. Here are some amazing resources to get you started!  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  St. Hermann Contractus was born crippled and was unable to move without help from others. However, he was determined to learn to read and write. He was extremely intelligent and eventually lived a monastic life. People came from across Europe to seek spiritual guidance from him. He made many contributions to our faith tradition before his death, including composing the Salve Regina!  READ DAILY PSALM  “The Lord has done marvels for us.” (Psalm 126:3)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings  READ TRUTH  SHARE Credit: litany.nyc / Instagram The LOOP is a publication of the CatholicVote Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. The LOOP is organized, funded, and published by faithful Catholic laity. We do not claim to speak for any individual bishop or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. CATHOLICVOTE | PO Box 3310 | Carmel, IN 46082 | (317) 669-6127