Pope: ‘Never lose hope’ when a loved one abandons their faith

By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis has replied to a letter from an Italian grandmother concerned that her granddaughter, now five years old, has not been baptised by her non-religious parents.

The brief letter, signed “Oliva from Bergamo”, was published in the first edition of the new magazine Piazza San Pietro (‘St Peter’s Square’), published by St Peter’s Basilica.

In the message, Oliva says that the decision taken by her daughter and son-in-law not to baptise her grandchild is “a source of great suffering” to her.

“What will Jesus think of all this?”, she asks.

In his reply, the Pope says that he understands Oliva’s suffering and feels close to her.

Baptism, he says, is “a great gift”. Since his election as Pope, he notes, he has baptised many children, and always found this to be a moment of “great joy”.

The Pope goes on to point out that one should “never lose hope” when a loved one loses their faith, recalling the example of St Monica, who prayed for decades for the conversion of her son St Augustine.

He also stresses that “baptism cannot be imposed on parents who do not want it for their children.” He therefore urges Oliva to “accompany your children, speak with them, but not insist on baptism”.

“Gratuitous love is more persuasive than many words,” the Pope writes. “Love for God plants seeds of the future, of friendship, of the search for Him.”

Pope Francis with newly baptised babies in the Sistine Chapel