In the latest issue of the magazine Piazza San Pietro, Pope Leo XIV responds to a letter from Laura, who shared in the pages of the magazine some of her struggles with faith. The Pontiff advises keeping the Virgin Mary firmly as a point of reference and encourages “calling difficulties by name.”

By Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a woman named Laura, who wished to share the joys and struggles of her faith.

The Holy Father received her message through the monthly publication of the Basilica of St. Peter, the magazine Piazza San Pietro, and the Pope’s response was published in its new edition. 

With Mary, every uncertainty can be faced

In response to the questions of this wife and mother about how to face difficulties, the Pope urges her to name them clearly and to share her personal experience.

Laura wonders, and asks the Pope for advice, how to overcome the temptations that seem to take over, despite the great love she receives from her husband and her three beautiful daughters, who are being raised in the Christian faith—a faith that she herself describes as “stronger than ever.”

She wonders whether this faith is lacking in solidity.

Pope Leo emphasizes: “Your enthusiasm for the faith and the truth of your heart are a blessing for you and your family. […] If your point of reference is Mary, you will be able to face every uncertainty. […] Sharing projects of Christian love is fundamental for spiritual progress and for cooperating with the grace and the will of God.”

These are some excerpts from what the Pope writes, as highlighted in the press release issued today, August 18, by the magazine’s editorial staff.

Dialogue, rest, peace, unity: Themes of the August issue

The monthly publication also includes a special feature on the Meeting of Fraternity, scheduled to take place in Rome on September 12 and 13—an occasion for encounter, closeness, and sharing through dialogue.

It also includes an in-depth piece on the ongoing thread of peace in the history of the twelve Popes, from Leo XIII to Leo XIV, and on their deep connection to fraternity.

In the editorial titled “Rest, Fraternity, and Peace,” Father Enzo Fortunato reflects on the meaning of the summer season as a time of rest.

The symbol of the latest edition of Piazza San Pietro evokes the first community gathered around Jesus, which thus becomes an image of a Church called to build bridges, not walls.