PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIAL MAKES APPALLING ADMISSION;MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS REMAIN AT RECORD HIGHS; FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS IDAHO LAW PROTECTING KIDS;

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29 Editor’s note:  Please enjoy this extra-long LOOP edition to tide you over through the weekend. The LOOP will return on January 2. Happy New Year! DEM SECRETARY OF STATE MOVES TO BLOCK TRUMP  Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Friday moved to take Donald Trump off of the state’s primary ballot, claiming the former president “engaged in insurrection” on January 6, 2021. Bellows suspended the impact of her decision pending court review.  READ TRUMP BACK ON THE BALLOT IN COLORADO  Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, announced that she plans to include Trump on the primary ballot. Her decision comes after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump’s candidacy invalid due to the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection” clause.  READ PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIAL MAKES APPALLING ADMISSION  Former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Francis Collins openly admitted that the officials who orchestrated the government’s COVID response “attach zero value to whether this actually totally disrupts people's lives, ruins the economy, and has many kids kept out of school in a way that they never might quite recover from.”  READ MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS REMAIN AT RECORD HIGHS  New reports show that nearly a quarter-million (242,418) encounters between migrants and enforcement agents occurred at the southern border last month alone. In January 2021, the month President Joe Biden took office, that number was only 78,414.  READ FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS IDAHO LAW PROTECTING KIDS  A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily stopped the enforcement of an Idaho law that protects children from so-called “gender-affirming” drugs and surgeries. “Parents should have the right to make the most fundamental decisions about how to care for their children,” the judge wrote.  READ BENEDICT CONFIDANTE TO SAY MASS FOR LATE PONTIFF  Archbishop Georg Gänswein will preside over a memorial Mass for the late Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica on December 31. Gänswein served as Benedict’s personal secretary during and after his pontificate.  READ DECEMBER HEROES & ZEROES While December’s Heroes and Zeroes is dedicated to announcing the winner of our Hero of the Year tournament, we couldn’t let these honorable mentions go unnoticed at year’s end!  READ YOUR NATIVITY SETS!  In honor of this year’s 800th anniversary of the first Nativity scene in Assisi, Italy, we asked LOOP readers to send us their photos of the family or parish creche. The response was overwhelming! Here are a few of our favorites.  READ LOOPcast SPECIAL  Did Josh retain his title as "Oracle of Petoskey"? Is Tucker Trump's VP pick? Will Travis win Taylor and the Super Bowl? And WHO will be your next president? Find out on a rip-roaring New Year's LOOPcast of bold predictions... and a little egg-on-your-face for Erika and Tom.  WATCH A NEW YEAR’S PRAYER FOR AMERICA  John Carroll, writes George Weigel, was arguably the greatest American bishop of all time. Carroll set the young nation’s Catholics on a path to “ennobling the American experiment” while maintaining their first loyalty to the Church. Bishop Carroll’s 1791 prayer for America is no less needed today than it was 250 years ago.  READ IT’S 2024: LET’S RAISE A GLASS!  Ring in the New Year with a few memorable drinks from the Pioneer Woman. From hot chocolate and cherry punch for the kids to sparkling martinis and mulled cider with a shot of bourbon for the adults – here are 35 simple drink recipes for a spirited celebration!  READ 14 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR CATHOLICS  Looking for some inspiration as we approach 2024? Katie Yoder asked America’s favorite Catholic leaders, authors, and speakers for their ideas.  READ ABIDING IN THE STILL POINT “Silent night, holy night…” There are moments of silence, moments of joy, or moments of peace in which time seems to lose relevance. T.S. Eliot, Thomas Becket, and Mother Mary offer insights into this phenomenon of the “still point.”  READ LOVE THE LOOP? Give the gift of the LOOP this Christmas! Your donation will be doubled between now and New Year – and every penny goes to giving the LOOP to more Americans.  GIVE NOW! CATHOLIC 101  If someone asked you why God became man, could you answer? Could you say more than “to save us”? All of our recalling that the Word was revealed in the flesh when Christ was born can seem a little empty if we don’t appreciate why the Word became flesh. Dominican Fr. Brian Mullady helps us see how Jesus just makes sense.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Thomas Becket was born in London in the early 1100s. He studied canon law and became a priest and then chancellor of England. His close friend King Henry II promoted Thomas to be the archbishop of Canterbury in a bid to consolidate power but was soon enraged that Thomas took the role seriously and protected the Church from secular incursions. Thomas died in Canterbury Cathedral at the hands of the king’s knights. READ FRIDAY'S PSALM  “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!” (Psalm 96:11)  READ FRIDAY'S READINGS  Friday's Mass readings.  READ SATURDAY'S PSALM  “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!” (Psalm 96:11)  READ SATURDAY'S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ SUNDAY’S PSALM  “Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.” (Psalm 128:1)  READ SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the tallest statue of Jesus is the Christ the King Statue in Świebodzin, Poland. HAVE A TIP?  Send us your news for the Weekend LOOP.  EMAIL INTERVIEW  If you’re a practicing Catholic or a concerned parent, chances are the FBI thinks you’re a domestic terrorist. Former agent, FBI whistleblower, and CatholicVote Hero of the Year Kyle Seraphin shares why the infamous “Richmond memo” is a wake-up call for all Christians and conservatives.  LISTEN 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