By Arkady Petrov
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pope Francis sent a letter to former President Lula this month, in which he asks him “not to be discouraged and to continue to trust in God,” in spite of the “difficult tests”, that he has recently undergone.
“Bearing in mind the hard testing that you have recently endured, especially the loss of loved ones – your wife Marisa Letícia, your brother Genival Inácio, and most recently, your grandson Arthur, who was only seven years old – this is to show you my spiritual closeness and to encourage you not to be discouraged and to continue trusting in God,” said the Pope.
In the text, probably written during Easter season, Francis spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that His triumph over death is the hope of humanity.
“His Easter, his passage from death to life, is also our Easter: thanks to Him, we can move from the darkness to the light; from the slavery of this world to the freedom of the Promised Land; from the sins that separate us from God and from our brothers to the fellowship that unites us to Him; from unbelief and despair to the serene and profound joy of those who believe that, in the end, good will win over evil, truth will win over lies, and Salvation will win over condemnation,” said the text, which is in response to a letter from Lula sent to the Catholic leader on March 29.
“It is a letter that carries many messages, besides those of affection,” said lawyer Carol Proner to Mônica Bergamo, published on May 29th by daily Folha de São Paulo.
A friend of Lula, the lawyer was part of a study group in the Vatican and had access to the correspondence.
The full text in Portuguese:
