A Late-Night Letter About the Revolution of Tenderness Pope Leo Is Calling Us To

Before this day ends, I’m asking you to help build the future Pope Leo sees — and America needs.

Dear friends,

I know I’m writing you late — but it’s for something important.

Today is Giving Tuesday, and before the day slips away, I want to speak to you plainly.

As you probably know, Giving Tuesday is the annual invitation to back the projects that move us, challenge us, and make us better.

Letters from Leo exists for one reason: to help all of us recognize the moment we’re living in — and to take part in it.

This isn’t just a chronicle of a historic papacy.

It’s an attempt to rally a community of conscience, to recover the best of America’s faith and political life, and to walk with Pope Leo as he challenges the creeping authoritarianism seeping into our national bloodstream.

In my own small way, I’m trying to participate in that mission. This newsletter has become, for me, a kind of secular priesthood — my imperfect effort to carry the light of Christ’s love into the public square.

I’ll be honest: I know I’m not the ideal messenger. Writing about faith in the brutal arena of American public life is uncomfortable and, at times, deeply exposing.

But I keep going because I believe what Pope Leo is doing has the power to make our world better.

In the words of Blessed John Paul I, “I offer you the little that I have and am.”

I offer my back, my mind, my heart — and my love for this Church and this country, both blessed and both broken.

These past few months, you’ve walked with me.

You’ve prayed, encouraged, challenged, and sustained this project.

Because of you, Letters from Leo has grown far faster than anyone expected.

Experts we’ve consulted believe this publication could reach one million readers by the 2028 election.

Imagine what a community that size — hopeful, formed, and engaged — could do for a country starving for moral clarity.

But none of that will happen automatically. And none of it can happen without you.

Letters from Leo is 100% reader-supported.

There’s no corporate backing, no institutional sponsor, no billionaire waiting in the wings — just you, and this growing community, choosing to keep this work alive.

So on this Giving Tuesday, if this project has brought value to your life or to someone you love, I’m humbly asking for your support.

This work only moves forward when people who care about truth, conscience, and the common good decide it’s worth carrying.

Pope Leo XIV’s witness calls us to bring a revolution of tenderness into American politics, culture, and media — a different way of being a nation in an age slipping toward cruelty and authoritarian reflex.

To help us build that future, here are three concrete ways you can support this mission:

• Subscribe as a paid member to receive exclusive posts about the life and formation of Pope Leo and help sustain this newsletter.

• Donate with a one-time gift to fuel this project’s mission.

• Share this post (and Letters from Leo) with a friend who might enjoy it.

Whether you give $0, $1, or $1,000, your presence here matters — no matter your faith, your doubts, or your politics. And more than anything, I ask for your prayers: for me, for this project, and for Pope Leo as he carries a heavy cross.

My friends — we’re only beginning. The road ahead is long, but we don’t walk it alone.

Let us rise, then, fellow travelers, and continue on our way.

PS — If you’d like to make a larger gift through a credit card, check, family foundation, or donor-advised fund, reply to this email. We’ll gladly help you invest in this mission.