Pope Leo XIV has responded to a letter from a man who defines himself as an atheist but acknowledges feeling a profound desire for God. In his reply, the Pontiff offers a serene reflection on the nature of faith and emphasizes that what is decisive is not the label of believer or non-believer, but the sincere attitude of seeking.
The response was published in the February edition of the magazine Piazza San Pietro, as reported by ACI Prensa. The author of the letter, Rocco, a resident of Reggio Calabria (Italy), raised a personal concern that he considers paradoxical: “How is it possible to consider oneself an atheist and love God?” In his message, he confessed to feeling divided between the conviction of not believing and a persistent longing for God.
A concern born from contemplation
To express his inner experience, Rocco sent the Pope a brief poetic composition in which he describes his contemplation of nature—the sunrise, the sunset, the starry sky—as the trigger for a question he cannot silence. Despite declaring himself “absolutely sure of nothingness,” he admits to still longing for God. “My drama is God. My concern is God!”, he writes.
The letter does not pose a theoretical objection to faith, but rather reflects an existential tension: the impossibility of suppressing the desire for transcendence even when adopting the self-definition of atheist.
Saint Augustine and the experience of seeking
In his response, Leo XIV thanks the sender for his sincerity and recalls a well-known phrase from Saint Augustine in the Confessions: “You were within me, and I was outside. And there I sought you.” With this reference, the Pope places the issue in the realm of spiritual experience rather than ideological debate.
The Pontiff states that one who loves God and seeks Him with a sincere heart cannot simply be reduced to the category of atheist. In that vein, he notes that several contemporary theologians have insisted that the core of the believing life does not consist in a mere intellectual affirmation, but in a constant seeking.
Beyond the label of believer or non-believer
Leo XIV formulates a significant distinction: the true problem of faith is not believing or not believing in God, but seeking Him. As he explains, the deepest difference is not established between believers and non-believers, but between those who seek the face of God and those who do not.
The Pope also warns that there may be cases of people who consider themselves believers and yet do not maintain a living search, while others, who do not identify as believers, are authentic seekers.
The dignity of the desire for God
In the conclusion of his response, Leo XIV affirms that all men are, at bottom, desirous of Love. That concern, far from being a contradiction, constitutes an essential dimension of the human condition.