A recently unearthed letter from the seven-year-old Joseph Ratzinger to “Baby Jesus” reveals the future pope’s desire to be a priest and his devotion to the Sacred Heart:
Dear Baby Jesus,
Quickly come down to earth. You will bring joy to children. Also bring me joy. I would like a Volks-Schott, green clothing for Mass, and a heart of Jesus. I will always be good.
Greetings from Joseph Ratzinger
“Volks-Schott” was a German prayer book. The green clothing refers to clerical garb Ratzinger and his brother would wear when “playing priest.”
“The Pope was very glad to find the letter and its contents made him smile,” said the pope’s secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein.
It wouldn’t be the last time God would hear from Joseph Ratzinger.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
