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| FRIDAY, MARCH 30 – GOOD FRIDAY |
| EDITOR’S NOTE In observance of Good Friday, today’s Loop is shortened. Have a Blessed Triduum. |
| PAPAL INTERVIEW CONFUSION The Vatican distanced itself from a claim that the Pppe doesn’t believe in hell. “No quotation of the aforementioned article must therefore be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.” It all started when Eugenio Scalfari published his latest “conversation” with Pope Francis. READ |
| BELTWAY HUMOR Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said to National Security Adviser nominee John Bolton: “I heard that you’re actually the devil incarnate and I wanted to meet you.” READ |
| ABORTION DEBATE IN TEXAS Why the Texas ban on brutal dismemberment is central to the U.S. abortion debate. READ |
| THE CATHOLIC VOTE IN 2018 Will the “Catholic Spring” blow up in Democrats’ faces in 2018? READ |
| SAINT OF THE DAY Today is Good Friday, obviously. But the Saint of the Day for March 31 is normally Saint Stephen of Mar Saba, the nephew of Saint John Damascene. He became acquainted with monastic life at the age of 10. He wanted to live as a hermit, but his abbot limited his solitude to weekdays. On weekends Stephen counseled his brothers—an arrangement that seemed to work for all concerned. READ |
| DAILY MASS READINGS “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Ps 31:2) READ |
| FAITH LIKE A CHILD A Looper emailed us this photo and said: “I guess I’ll stop complaining about all the legos lying around.” |