In a moving dialogue published in the “Dialogue with Readers” section of the magazine Piazza di San Pietro, Pope Leo XIV responds with paternalism and realism to a letter from a Swiss mother concerned that her teenage children show little interest in attending catechism to prepare for Confirmation.

The letter, signed “Nunzia” (a pseudonym chosen to protect privacy), comes from a family of Italian immigrants in Switzerland. The woman confides in the Holy Father about their daily struggles: the children, aged between 10 and 14, prefer sports, parties, and their cell phones to catechism classes. “They tell me, ‘Mom, I don’t want to go; it’s boring…’ What can I do?” the mother asks sincerely, as she continues to strive to maintain Christian upbringing in her family.

In his response, Pope Leo XIV does not hide the difficulties but invites us to look with confidence at the power of the Gospel.

Dear Nunzia, I appreciate your heartfelt letter and your testimony as a Christian mother. I understand your concerns very well: raising children in the faith in a world that often proposes other “priorities” is not easy. But it is precisely in this weariness that there is a great opportunity for witness.

Your children aren’t “lost” because they play sports or go to parties: they’re young people growing up, searching for identity, friendships, and meaning. Our task isn’t to force them but to accompany them with patient love, showing them that faith isn’t a burden but a joy.

Remember that the Catechism is a “traveling tool” for life (as I said during the Jubilee for Catechists), but the true “teacher” is Christ, who lives in you. Your joy in believing, your love for them, and your daily prayer are already a powerful proclamation.

Take heart! Don’t be discouraged if they seem far off today. Many saints—think of Saint Augustine or Saint Monica—had mothers who prayed for years before seeing the fruit of their labor.

Invite your children to live their faith in concrete ways: a charitable act together, a visit to an elderly person, a brief prayer before the Nativity scene or the Cross. And when they discuss sports or friends, listen to them with interest: there, in that dialogue, the opportunity may arise to say, “You know, Jesus was also a true friend…”

The joy of the Gospel is contagious. Bear witness to it with your life, and the Lord will do the rest.

With my prayers and blessings for you, your children, and your family.

Leo PP. XIV

The full text of the letter and the response has been published in the magazine  Piazza di San Pietro, which for some months now has regularly hosted this space for direct dialogue between the Pope and the faithful.

The section, inaugurated by Pope Francis and enthusiastically continued by Leo XIV, remains a living bridge between the Bishop of Rome and families, young people, and Christian communities scattered throughout the world.

A message of hope: Pope Leo XIV’s intervention comes at a time when many families are wondering about the future of the transmission of the faith. The Pontiff, with his simple and direct style, reminds us that the path is not one of reproach or imposition, but of patient love, daily witness, and trust in God’s grace.

As the Pope himself wrote on another occasion, “The peace and joy of the Gospel are built with small, courageous steps in everyday life.” This is also true in the life of a Swiss family striving to keep the flame of faith alive.

Piazza di San Pietro Magazine, January 2026