LGBT ACTIVISTS HOLD RAUCOUS FUNERAL AT ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL;ADMIN REMOVES 2nd-IN-COMMAND OF BORDER PATROL;WHO PANDEMIC TREATY THREATENS FREE SPEECH;GOVERNOR DECLARES POLICE SHORTAGE AN ‘EMERGENCY’

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 LGBT ACTIVISTS HOLD RAUCOUS FUNERAL AT ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL  St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City held a funeral service for an LGBTQ activist this week and the event’s organizer said she kept the "transgender" identity of the deceased “under wraps” while planning the gathering with church administrators. The raucous event got out of hand and included foul language, interruptions of the presiding priest, and dancing.  READ ADMIN REMOVES 2nd-IN-COMMAND OF BORDER PATROL  The Biden administration on Thursday removed Acting Deputy Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Joel Martinez over alleged misconduct. The administration did not name any specific accusation against the 31-year Border Patrol veteran. Martinez’s removal comes just days after U.S. Border Patrol Academy Chief Ryan Landrum was also relieved of his command.  READ TRUMP FINED MASSIVE SUM IN NEW YORK CASE  Former President Donald Trump was fined hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud trial on Friday and was banned from running his businesses in New York for three years. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and the Trump Organization to pay more than $350 million in damages.  READ WHO PANDEMIC TREATY THREATENS FREE SPEECH  The World Health Organization’s (WHO) pandemic accord negotiations seek to establish legally binding rules for a global response to the next pandemic. The draft text currently under consideration would require officials to “tackle” people responsible for causing “confusion” as well as “mistrust” in health authorities.  READ GOVERNOR DECLARES POLICE SHORTAGE AN ‘EMERGENCY’  Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency over the state’s shortage of law enforcement officers. According to the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, law enforcement in the state was short 1,800 deputies as of July 2023.  READ MEDIA MISLEAD ON ABORTION PILL  Media outlets this week touted a new study that purportedly found mail-order abortion pills are safe. “They didn't tell you that the authors have *no idea* what happened to nearly one-fourth of the women who obtained chemical abortions,” writes pro-life researcher Michael New.  READ CATHOLIC AID ORG DECRIES CHRISTIAN DEATH TOLL IN GAZA The death toll of Christians in Gaza has continued to rise according to a recent press release from Aid to the Church in Need International. Thirty Christians have died in Gaza in the past four months as the humanitarian situation for the small community worsens by the day.  READ MODERN MARTYRS  This week, the Catholic Church commemorated the first feast day of “the 21” men brutally executed by ISIS militants in 2015 on a beach in Sirte, Libya. The 20 Coptic martyrs and one non-Christian – a Muslim who converted at the last moment and received “baptism by blood” – were added to the martyrology one year ago.  READ LOOPcast  Ukraine scores billions, the border scores z$ro, and Mayorkas is finally impeached. The Vatican should hire Josh instead of, you know, pro-abortion atheists. And whatever happened to “The Population Bomb?” All that and more on this week’s LOOPcast.  WATCH A TEST FOR PRIDEFULNESS  Lent is the time to face uncomfortable truths about oneself. But it’s a good discomfort because what is not good about ourselves can always be changed and renewed. They say pride is the root of all sin, so it would be fair to assume we all have at least a little bit of it. Here is a test to measure your pridefulness. And once you’ve measured it, you can take it to the foot of the cross this Lent.  READ 7 MEATLESS RECIPES  Tired of cheese pizza on Fridays? You have options you may not have thought of. Here are seven delicious meatless meals that are not cheese pizza or frozen fish sticks.  READ MIXED EMOTIONS WHEN SINGLE  This is the time of year when many of us are mapping out and planning for the 2024 weddings we’ve been invited to attend. If you’re a young adult, it may be a major wedding season among your friends while you remain single. And that comes with mixed feelings. Here is some advice for handling those emotions, and it’s not entirely about forcing yourself to love singlehood.  READ FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEATH “To dust you shall return.” Lent is a time to remember our inevitable death, and one very practical way to do this is to review our end-of-life financial plans. It may feel weird, but here are the conversations, attitudes, and practical steps you should take right now.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Who doesn’t love the sense of relief you get from making a good confession? That alone would make frequent confession worthwhile… and yet how many of us put it off every week? If “pardon and peace” aren’t motivating you to go as often as you ought, Fr. Wade Menezes counts not one or two, but nine chief benefits to be gotten from the sacrament!  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today we honor the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, a group of Italian hermits with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. Mary appeared to them in 1233 and gave them the exact rule, habit, and the name of their order, the Servants of Mary. Now commonly called the Servites, these mendicant friars travel the world and preach to the poor. READ SATURDAY'S PSALM  “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.” (Psalm 86:11)  READ SATURDAY'S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ SUNDAY’S PSALM  “Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” (Psalm 25:10)  READ SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  “The predella is a step and/or platform onto which the altar is placed,” writes Shawn Tribe. “It is probably something that one is so accustomed to seeing that it is easily forgotten – and thus also easily neglected” when renovating or building new sanctuaries.  READ HAVE A TIP?  Send us your news for the Weekend LOOP.  EMAIL A TOAST TO THE PAST  Tonight (if you didn’t go dry for Lent), raise a glass to Wisconsin Senator John J. Blaine, author of the Blaine Act, which passed the U.S. Senate on February 17, 1933, spelling the end of prohibition in the United States. Here are some “fun” facts about the effects of prohibition that may surprise you.  READ 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