LOOP: Pope Leo grieves Texas tragedy

MONDAY, JULY 7 POPE LEO MOURNS TEXAS FLOOD VICTIMS Pope Leo XIV offered condolences yesterday to the families affected by the recent devastating floods in Texas, with a special mention of the young girls who were attending a Christian summer camp when disaster struck.  READ TRUMP DECLARES DISASTER AS TEXAS FLOOD TOLL HITS 70  President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, Texas, yesterday in response to the Guadalupe River floods, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the number of those killed by the floods rose to at least 70 Sunday afternoon.  READ MUSK LAUNCHES NEW POLITICAL PARTY  Elon Musk announced the formation of the "America Party" over the weekend, framing it as a "response to what he described as a corrupt political establishment that no longer represents the American people," FOX News reported. READ POPE CALLS FOR OPENNESS TO EVANGELIZATION  In his Angelus address, Pope Leo urged Catholics to embrace the gift of evangelization through a personal relationship with God, saying, "We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the Kingdom of God in all places." READ TRUMP ISSUES TARIFF ULTIMATUM  Trump said he has signed letters to a dozen countries detailing new US tariff levels on their exports, calling the offers "take it or leave it" and set to be delivered Monday.  READ POPE LEO SHARES CHILDHOOD MASS MEMORIES  At a surprise visit to the Vatican Summer Camp on July 3, Pope Leo lit up when a little girl asked if he went to Mass as a child. "Certainly! Every Sunday with mom and dad," he said. "But for 6 years or so I was also an altar boy in the parish and so before going to classes... there was Mass at 6:30 in the morning."  READ   MAJOR BRANDS DITCH FOOD DYES  Major food companies including Nestlé, Conagra, and General Mills are pledging to remove synthetic food dyes from US products, joining the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign to eliminate harmful ingredients.  READ AD: PRIORITIZE FAITH, FAMILY & FINANCES  Taylor Frigon serves clients at every stage of wealth, from first-time investors to high-net-worth families and organizations seeking full-service wealth guidance. LEARN MORE USCCB PRESIDENT REACTS TO 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'  Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued a July 3 statement on the House passage of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," expressing concern over certain final provisions. READ ARCHBISHOP CALLS EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL A 'SEASON OF GRACE'  Marking the close of the US bishops' three-year National Eucharistic Revival, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles described the movement as a "season of grace" for the American Church. READ SO MUCH NEWS...  Here are the stories we couldn't fit in today's LOOP: •    Transportation Secretary urged states to remove rainbow crosswalks. READ •    A pro-life group gave 400,000 diapers to churches, homeless shelters, and families. READ •    Pope Leo's official July prayer intention? Discernment.  READ FOR RETIRED CATHOLICS  Retirement isn't the end — it's a new beginning. Here are 8 meaningful ways older Catholics can stay spiritually vibrant through mentoring, hospitality, adoration, and prayer. In fact, retirement can be its own apostolate.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Saint Benedict's Rule starts with love and ends with mercy. Sounds pretty relatable. He wrote it for monks in the context of a monastery, 1500 years ago. So what does it look like today? Here is a reflection on the primacy of mercy in Benedict's Rule and how ordinary people like us can be a witness to this mercy in the everyday situations around us.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today, the Church celebrates Blessed Maria Romero Meneses, a Nicaraguan-born Salesian sister who dedicated her life to the poor in Costa Rica. She founded food distribution centers, a school, and a clinic before her death in 1977. In 2002, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II. READ DAILY PSALM  "In you, my God, I place my trust." (Psalm 91:2)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings.  READ MUST-SEE CONTENT  Don't miss Erika Ahern's frank, in-depth discussion with Cade Bradley, gay activist and ex-Catholic, on The Deep with Erika Ahern. Stream it now on the LOOPcast YouTube channel.  WATCH & SUBSCRIBE Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127