Vatican: Pope Leo XIV responds to a father who lost a 13-year-old son

Pope Leo XIV responded to a father who lost a 13-year-old son named Domenico Maria, a teenager who loved to play soccer and who died from an “unexpected and devastating illness.”

Francesco, the father, writes to León in the latest edition of the magazine St. Peter’s Squareasking him to bless his family, made up of him, his wife and his three other children.

“It has been nearly 18 years since, due to an unexpected and devastating illness, he left, but it seems like yesterday,” Francesco writes about Domenico Maria. “He was a boy with great hopes, in school and football, who had played since he was a child,” he adds.

The father of the family also says that he hopes that God has welcomed “in his infinite goodness and mercy as a Father in heaven, this ‘angel’ for all of us who remain on earth, trusting in his intercession to obtain the benefits that we always hope for.”

Pope Leo XIV’s response

“It is our hope that Domenico Maria is in Heaven with Jesus and the Virgin and intercedes for his family. Pray for him. Pray with him. Authentic prayer, like authentic sport, performed together, creates bonds and unites forever,” writes Pope Leo XIV at the beginning of his response.

“The important thing is to always remain connected to the Lord, going through the greatest pain with the help of his Grace, which always arrives – you can be sure – even in the darkest moments,” the Holy Father continues.

“Your letter, Francesco, testifies to your faith in Christ, your trust in the resurrection. And your life, together with that of your family, which remains united to Domenico Maria, is a great example for all fathers and mothers who cannot rise from the immense pain of the loss of a child. I hope you can share all this in the parish community you frequent.”

XIV lion: “¡“Death never has the last word!”

After pointing out that Christ, with the true life he brings, helps to “renounce a culture of death very present in society,” Pope Leo emphasizes that “Death never has the last word!”

“The last word, which opens the doors of eternity and joy that lasts forever, is the resurrection, which does not know the discouragement or pain that lock us in the extreme difficulty of not finding meaning in our existence,” he added.

After encouraging Francesco to be “salt of the earth” with the light of Christ, Pope Leo XIV blessed the father of the family and offered his prayers for Domenico Maria “and for all children and young people who died prematurely.”