Friday, 20 February 2026

LOOP: Trump pledges $10 billion for Gaza

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20

TRUMP ANNOUNCES $10 BILLION US PLEDGE FOR GAZA REBUILDING Yesterday, during the inaugural U.S.-led Board of Peace talks, President Donald Trump announced a $10 billion U.S. pledge alongside $7 billion in international commitments for Gaza's reconstruction. Speaking to attendees, Trump described the $10 billion U.S. contribution as a "very small number" compared with "the cost of war." READ

FORMER PRINCE ANDREW ARRESTED AMID NEW ALLEGATIONS IN EPSTEIN FILES Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British Prince Andrew who was stripped of his royal titles over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was reportedly arrested yesterday before being released hours later. He was suspected of misconduct in public office after the newly released U.S. Justice Department's files allegedly showed him sharing confidential government information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. READ

US WOMEN'S HOCKEY WINS OLYMPIC GOLD IN OVERTIME THRILLER Team USA defeated rival Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milan Cortina Winter Games to capture Olympic gold and cap a dominant 7-0 run through the tournament. Megan Keller sealed the victory in sudden death after captain Hilary Knight tied the game late in regulation, securing the Americans' ninth gold medal of the Olympic Games. READ

SSPX PROCEEDS WITH UNAUTHORIZED BISHOP ORDINATIONS DESPITE VATICAN'S WARNINGS OF SCHISM The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) said yesterday it will move forward with its planned July 1 episcopal ordinations despite warnings from the Vatican that proceeding without papal approval would imply schism and carry grave consequences. In a letter to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, SSPX superior general Father Davide Pagliarani rejected the DDF's proposal requiring the suspension of the consecrations. READ

KANSAS PASSES BILL DEFINING GENDER AS TRUE SEX AT BIRTH The Kansas House of Representatives voted yesterday to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that defines gender as a person's biological sex at birth. The new bill will require Kansans to use restrooms in public buildings that align with their true sex and mandates that driver's licenses and birth certificates must reflect a person's true sex. READ

WITNESS: CATHOLIC CELEBRITIES SHARE THEIR ASHES From Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie to Gwen Stefani, Mario Lopez, and Patricia Heaton, Zeale News rounded up Catholic celebrities, news anchors, public officials, and advocates who shared photos wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday. These Catholics used their platforms to share a visible reminder of the Church's call to repentance this Lenten season. READ

COLORADO WON'T REQUIRE PARENTS TO AFFIRM CHILD'S 'GENDER IDENTITY' IN CUSTODY COURTS A Colorado Senate committee voted yesterday to remove a provision of a newly proposed bill that would have required courts to consider whether parents affirm a child's "gender identity" in custody disputes. The provision drew opposition from parents and advocacy groups who warned it threatened parental rights, with an advocate for the Colorado Catholic Conference saying it could mean parents would lose custody "if they do not affirm their minors' trans identity." READ

AD: NEW OFFICIAL 2026 APOSTOLIC PARDON HOLY CARD ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM THE USCCB This special blessing and plenary indulgence granted by a Catholic priest at the hour of death gives complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sin already forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession. The new English translation went into effect February 11, 2026 and must be used by Easter Sunday. Get your newly revised Apostolic Pardon holy cards today. LEARN MORE

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HOLY LAND FRANCISCAN LEADER ASKS FOR SUPPORT THROUGH GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION Ongoing conflict and violence have reduced pilgrimages to the Holy Land, worsening economic hardship for local Christian communities, said Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land. The annual Good Friday collection supports schools, parishes, and social projects, which he described as a "concrete sign of communion" that helps sustain the Christian presence in the land of Christ's Passion and Resurrection. READ

'LISTEN WITH THE HEART': DENVER ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS SHARES LENTEN MESSAGE Archbishop Samuel Aquila is calling Catholics to deeper silence, prayer, and a fast from harmful speech this Lent as the Archdiocese of Denver prepares to welcome a new leader, describing the season as a "personal invitation" to conversion and renewed friendship with Christ. READ

NOT TO BE MISSED... Here are the stories we couldn't fit in today's LOOP:

40 Days for Life launched its Lent campaign, calling on Catholics nationwide to sign up for prayer shifts during its peaceful vigils outside abortion facilities. READ
Pope Leo XIV addressed participants of the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ. READ
The Daughters of St. Paul co-developed a series on online safety for families. READ

I TRIED EMILY WILSON'S CATHOLIC DATING APP — HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED Zeale author Ava Cilento gives an honest, first-hand review of the new dating app launched by Catholic speaker and YouTuber Emily Wilson. READ

CATHOLIC 101 Why do Catholics wear ashes if Jesus encourages us to make private penances? Word on Fire's Fr. Steve Grunow offers a reflection on the private and public aspects of penance. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto are the young shepherd siblings who witnessed the Marian apparitions at Fatima in 1917 along with their cousin Lucia. Despite ridicule, interrogation, and even jail, they remained steadfast in sharing Our Lady's call to pray the Rosary and offer sacrifices for sinners. Both died of the Spanish flu soon after the apparitions and were canonized by Pope Francis in 2017 — the youngest non-martyrs ever declared saints. READ

DAILY PSALM "A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn." (Psalm 51) READ

DAILY READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

A CHINESE CATHOLIC UNJUSTLY IMPRISONED Starting out as a penniless child who stowed away from China to Hong Kong, entrepreneur Jimmy Lai worked his way to great success, and then used that success as the foundation for his work in advocating for democracy and freedom from Chinese Communism. CatholicVote President and CEO, Kelsey Reinhardt, relates Lai's story and describes his mistreatment at the hands of China's government. READ

Thursday, 19 February 2026

Unjustly Imprisoned in China

Friend,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarkable speech in Munich last Saturday highlighted the great goods a shared Christian history has given both the United States and Europe. In doing so, it also emphasized the sharp contrast between us and nations where such things as the freedom to speak without government retribution are non-existent.

Case in point: a native of China, named Jimmy Lai. About 65 years ago, at the age of 12, Lai stowed away on a Chinese ship bound for Hong Kong where he became a child laborer in a garment factory.

Smart, resourceful, and beginning as a floor-sweeper, he climbed through the ranks of the garment business, learning all there was to know about it. Then, in the 1970s, Lai leveraged everything he had and could borrow to start his own company. That risk led to the launch of a clothing brand and millionaire status for a man who truly started with nothing.

During China's notorious 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, Lai began using his public profile in Hong Kong to openly criticize the Chinese government. This began a new chapter in his life—journalist. Founding a media company as well as a popular pro-democracy newspaper, Lai gained recognition as an influential critic of China's Communist regime.

As such, Lai became a frequent regime target. His assets were frozen. He was arrested. He spent time in prison. All for his belief in democracy and a desire to see his people freed from Communist oppression.

But amid his struggles, something wonderful happened for Lai. Through the influence of his wife, he was baptized and received into the Catholic Church.

God be praised, Lai has his faith to sustain him, because his enemies continue to pile insult upon injury.

Already in custody on fraud charges deemed "spurious" by the U.S. State Department, Lai has now been sentenced to 20 years for violating China's 2020 National Security Law—a law that didn't even exist at the time of his alleged infractions.

Now 78 years old, Lai's family rightly considers 20 years a "death sentence."

Secretary Rubio calls Lai's sentence "an unjust and tragic conclusion to his case," adding, "It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong." He also urges authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole.

Indeed, Lai's sentence is nothing more than a vendetta on the part of a Communist government that cannot tolerate dissent.

And so, we grieve for a fellow Catholic suffering persecution for championing the freedom so important to Catholic social teaching. And we encourage Secretary Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, also fellow Catholics, to do everything in their power to win Lai's release.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, patron of the imprisoned, and who suffered unjust imprisonment, please pray for Jimmy Lai and his family.

Go forward bravely,

Kelsey Reinhardt
President & CEO

CatholicVote