Composed with the Assistance of Microsoft Copilot January 1, 2026 Octave of Christmas Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV The Apostolic Palace 00120 Vatican City
Your Holiness,
“Lay people have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church” (CCC 907). Moved by this teaching and with deep reverence for your office, I write to you in a spirit of filial respect and sincere interest for the well‑being of the Church entrusted to your pastoral care.
I offer these reflections not as criticism but as an act of communion—seeking clarity, unity, and fidelity to the Gospel. The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts among all the faithful to build up the Body of Christ, and I hope that what I share may, in some small way, serve that purpose.
I believe that, while your Christmas gesture beautifully upheld the sanctity of unborn life, it did not fully address the question many felt regarding the absence of any mention of the unborn in your October 4 letter on the poor. As I reflected on this omission, I could not help but recall the clarity with which Saint Teresa of Calcutta spoke about the poorest of the poor in her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
In that address, she insisted that poverty is not only material but also spiritual, and that the gravest poverty is to be unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. She identified the unborn child as the one who suffers this poverty most profoundly. As she said, “the greatest destroyer of peace today is the cry of the innocent unborn child.” She described abortion as a direct assault on the very peace and love the world claims to seek, noting that when a mother is taught to destroy her own child, “how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”
Mother Teresa’s words make it unmistakably clear that the unborn are not a separate issue from the poor but stand at the very heart of the Church’s preferential option for the poor. She called them “the poorest of the poor” because they are utterly defenseless and entirely dependent on the love of others for their survival. She urged the world to recognize that every child is “a gift of God,” and she pleaded that we “give until it hurts” to protect them and their mothers.
Her witness reminds us that any authentic commitment to the poor must include the unborn—not as an optional addendum, but as a central moral and pastoral priority. For this reason, the omission of the unborn in your October 4 letter drew the attention of many who look to you for guidance in defending the dignity of every human life, especially those who cannot speak for themselves. I am grateful for the many times you have spoken in defense of human life, and I humbly ask that you speak for them once more, to reassure the world of the Church’s unwavering commitment to the most vulnerable.
I assure you that my intention is always to uphold the truth, charity, and unity that Christ desires for His Church. I remain grateful for your ministry and for the burdens you carry on behalf of the People of God. Please know that I am praying for you and for the Church.*
With profound respect,
In Christ through Mary,
*Written with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot
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