Your Holiness,
I am a fourth-grader at St. Andrew the Apostle in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is a wonderful place where there are nice people and teachers. Is Italy a wonderful place? I’ve never been there. I’d like to know more about it so I can enjoy it with you.

Respectfully,
Cathryanna

Dear Pope Benedict,
How does it feel to be the pope? Do you feel pressured? What do you do in your free time? Are you always busy? Thank you for all you have done!

Sincerely,
Zoli

Dear Pope Benedict,
Please pray for my great grandma because she is getting old.

Sebastian

Dear Pope Benedict,
I am 6 years old. How many miles is it to come from where you live to where we live? What is your real name? How long have you been a Benedict? Can you please write back?

Love,
Gabriella

Your Holiness,
I think being a Catholic is very fun. I get to go to church, go on walks, and pray. When we are at school in the morning we pray and before lunch we pray. When we go home we even pray. When we get home from school we do our homework and play with our toys. Then when it is dinner we say grace and then we eat. So that is what I think of being a Catholic.

Sincerely,
Keegan

Dear Pope Benedict,
You are a very good boss. It is so cool that you are coming to America!

Love,
Joey

Your Holiness,
I would like to tell you something about how I feel about being Catholic. I feel like if I am sad or mad then I always have someone to turn to and that’s what always gets me through the day.

Respectfully,
Mary Kate

Dear Pope Benedict XVI,
I think it’s great that you are coming to America because you can show others the right way to live. You can show others that peace is the way to go and not war and when people know you’re in town, they’ll stop making trouble. Thanks for being such a great pope and showing the way to go.

Sincerely,
Lexi

Your Holiness,
For me, being Catholic is one of the most exciting things, because when you follow God’s law and trust in him, amazing things happen. As a Catholic, anything is possible. Your Holiness, thank you for being an influence on me and the world.

Sincerely,
Peter

Dear Pope Benedict,
Hi, my name is Brendan. We are so excited for you to come to America. How is your life as a pope? Do you like your job? I am a very talented boy and some people think so, too. Our school is very fun and awesome. I think I should be a Catholic, because we need to believe in God.

Sincerely,
Brendan