POLL: 84% OF VOTERS SAY BORDER IS ‘SERIOUS’ ISSUE;TRUMP WINS IN KEY SWING STATE PRIMARY; VENEZUELAN CRIME DROPPED AS ILLEGAL US IMMIGRATION SPIKED;400th ATTACK ON A CATHOLIC CHURCH SINCE 2020

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 TRUMP WINS IN KEY SWING STATE PRIMARY  Former President Trump seemed to carry all of Michigan’s 83 counties for a landslide win in the Republican primary Tuesday. Biden also won his party’s primary, but over 14% of Democratic primary voters cast “uncommitted” ballots. Observers generally agreed that the numbers spelled trouble for Biden in the general election.  READ POLL: 84% OF VOTERS SAY BORDER IS ‘SERIOUS’ ISSUE  A new Monmouth University poll found that 61% of voters see the border crisis as a “very serious problem,” with an additional 23% saying the issue is “somewhat serious.” When Donald Trump was president in 2019, the same poll found only 46% believed the problem of illegal immigration was “serious.”  READ VENEZUELAN CRIME DROPPED AS ILLEGAL US IMMIGRATION SPIKED  Venezuela’s violent crime rate was reportedly “soaring” in 2019, creating a public health crisis. Four years later, it was at a historic low. During the same period, rates of illegal immigration to the U.S. rose to a record high, and last week a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with a criminal record murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley at the University of Georgia.  READ 400th ATTACK ON A CATHOLIC CHURCH SINCE 2020  “Catholic churches in the United States have been attacked at least 400 times over the past four years, according to data compiled by the Catholic advocacy organization CatholicVote,” reports Mary Margaret Olohan of The Daily Signal. “The 400th attack that CatholicVote recorded involved transgender activists who used deception to hold a “sacrilegious funeral” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral….”  READ NYTIMES: SOCIAL MEDIA MOMS PUT MINOR GIRLS AT RISK  A recent New York Times report acknowledged a disturbing trend of mothers running social media accounts featuring pictures and videos of their minor daughters with the intention of seeking fame – only to become noticed by thousands of male pedophiles.  READ NEW TREND BEHIND KIDS’ MENTAL HEALTH CRISES Social-emotional learning (SEL) has been injected into every facet and grade level in schools, but American children and teens are more anxious and depressed than ever, observes Abigail Shrier in an excerpt of her new book “Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up.” Dr. Susan Berry explores the issue for CatholicVote. READ URUGUAYAN BISHOP ADDRESSES REPORTED ‘CATHOLIC GAY WEDDING’  After media outlets covered the same-sex civil union of two Uruguayan celebrities as if it were a Catholic wedding "presided by a priest," the local Catholic bishop was forced to issue a "clarification” regarding the priest’s scandalous application of Fiducia Supplicans.  READ IMAGINE A MILLION  Want to restore our country? We do too! It all starts with being well-informed. Help us get the LOOP to one million Catholics by donating today!  GIVE JORDAN PETERSON: CHURCH FORGETS THE CROSS  Dr. Jordan Peterson in a recent interview criticized Catholic leaders who emphasize being “welcoming” to the neglect of preaching the Gospel. “It’s not working,” Peterson said. “It’s shallow … and contemptible. It’s supposed to be an invitation to the great adventure of life. What is the adventure of life? ‘Pick up your cross and follow me.’”  READ POPE FRANCIS MISSES TWO DAYS’ MEETINGS DUE TO HEALTH  Pope Francis canceled his meetings on February 26 due to flu symptoms, making it the second day in a week that he was unable to keep his engagements because of poor health.  READ TEACH CHILDREN ACTIVE LISTENING  We are raising children in a culture that doesn’t listen well. Conversations, debates, and comment sections consist largely of a ping-pong of buzzwords and one-liners that have little to do with what has been said on the other side. But true, active listening helps children communicate effectively and build empathy and understanding within relationships. Here are six ways you can foster it.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Protestants, among others, have many questions for Catholics, one of which is “Why so many crucifixes?” It is true, Jesus rose from the dead. The work is done. And yet, every Catholic church still displays the crucified Lord. Wouldn’t a bare cross more gloriously proclaim the power of God in the Resurrection?  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Bl. Villana de’Botti was born in 1332 in Florence. When she ran away to join a convent at the age of 13, the nuns sent her back home, where she was forced to marry. Villana then began to live a worldly life of pleasure and sin until a miraculous conversion. She became a Dominican tertiary known for her service to the poor. When she died at the age of 30, her family waited days to bury her body because of the constant crowd of mourners.  READ DAILY PSALM  “Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.” (Psalm 31:17)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings  READ BEAUTY  Preceded by a tiny wooden church built to serve workers on the Union Pacific Railroad, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Grand Island, Nebraska, today stands as a striking example of Gothic revival architecture. The cathedral's main altar, baldacchino, and side altars are crafted from white Italian marble.  SHARE IMAGE CREDIT: Nheyob Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127