SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14

USCCB HEAD BACKS INDIANA BISHOP'S CHALLENGE OF NOTRE DAME Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has come out in support of Bishop Kevin Rhoades' statement confronting Notre Dame for appointing a pro-abortion professor to head up one of its institutes. “I fully support Bishop Kevin Rhoades in his challenge to Notre Dame to rectify its poor judgement in hiring a professor who openly stands against Catholic teaching when it comes to the sanctity of life," Archbishop Coakley stated yesterday. READ

WSJ OP-ED COMPARES 'TRANS' SURGERIES TO LOBOTOMIES A Wall Street Journal opinion columnist compared modern so-called “gender-affirming” medical interventions to the once-widespread practice of lobotomy, arguing that clinicians who subject minors to the sexual procedures are repeating historical medical failures. READ

PUERTO RICO LAW RECOGNIZES UNBORN CHILD AS HUMAN Puerto Rico’s governor has signed legislation amending the territory’s Penal Code to recognize the unborn child as a human being — a move supporters say brings greater consistency to existing law. READ

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RARE TWINS ALLOW UNPRECEDENTED DOWN SYNDROME RESEARCH A rare medical case involving identical twin brothers — one born with Down syndrome and the other without — is offering researchers an unprecedented opportunity to advance the scientific understanding of the genetic roots and biological impact of trisomy 21. READ

HINDU NATIONALISTS TRY TO SHUT DOWN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN INDIA Hundreds of Hindu nationalist activists reportedly gathered outside a Christian school in India’s capital city in mid-January, accusing the institution of forced conversions and calling for the school to close. Christian leaders say the activists’ allegations reflect a broader pattern of harassment against the country’s Christian minority. READ

WILL LOW BIRTH RATES LEAD TO MORE CONSERVATIVE FUTURE? In a world where countries’ birth rates are consistently falling to depths well below the replacement level — and where conservatives are more likely than liberals to have children — the global future may be marked by a trend toward traditional values, according to a political analyst. READ

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FAMILY ST. VALENTINE'S CELEBRATION: INCLUDE YOUR CHILDREN IN YOUR LOVE STORY Zeale’s Jessica Nardi invites married couples to include their children in some simple Valentine’s Day festivities – after all, they’re the continuation of your love story! READ

NEW PLATFORM SHOWS YOU NEAREST ADORATION CHAPEL A new platform called The Adore Movement is encouraging the faithful to fall in love with Christ in the Eucharist, and it features an interactive map to help people find opportunities for adoration near them. READ

YOUR LENTEN READING LIST One of the Church’s most time-honored Lenten practices is deliberate spiritual reading — books that confront sin honestly, stir contrition, and draw the soul more deeply into a life of grace. Here are several trusted companions for the Lenten season. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY Today is the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the ninth-century brothers evangelized Eastern Europe by preaching in the language of the people, even creating the Cyrillic alphabet to translate Scripture and the liturgy. Their bold missionary witness helped lay the foundation for the Christianization of the Slavic world. READ

SATURDAY'S PSALM "Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people." (Psalm 106) READ

SATURDAY'S READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

SUNDAY'S PSALM "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!" (Psalm 119) READ

SUNDAY'S READINGS Sunday's Mass readings. READ

ANSWER TO TRIVIA The use of the X at the end of a letter was originally the practice of devout Christians. The X symbolized the cross of Our Lord, and its use at the end of a letter amounted to a kind of oath or avowal that the contents of the letter were sincere.

LOOPCast The SSPX met with Rome after signaling it may consecrate bishops without Vatican approval. We break down what was said and what comes next. Meanwhile, a secret, password-protected video message from the Charlotte bishop is set to be shown at Mass this weekend. And finally, the Stop/Start feature is dead. All this and more on the LOOPcast! WATCH