Dear Pope Francis,

I have identified as a Catholic for as long as I can remember; every Sunday afternoon of my childhood was spent going to mass with my entire family. A Catholic priest baptized me when I was 5 months old, I received my First Communion in second grade, and I even went through Confirmation in eight grade. By definition, I am a Catholic. However, the older I got, the more doubts I had about our religion.

As I went through high school, I began forming my own set of beliefs and opinions and slowly realized that my personal beliefs contradicted what my religion was preaching. By the time I entered college, my personal beliefs solidified, and I was exposed to more political-religious discussions than ever before. I was confused about my religion—I never doubted God’s existence, but I was confused about whether or not I could still identify as a Catholic. Pope Francis, thank you for being the most progressive pope the Roman Catholic Church has ever had.

Thank you for changing the way Catholics view homosexuality. Almost three years ago you addressed homosexuality for the first time as pope by saying, “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” This statement evolved the Catholic Church on LGBT issues dramatically, which for me, a millennial, was extremely important. I used to think that I was a bad Catholic because I strongly supported LGBT rights, primarily gay marriage, but all other civil and religious rights too. So thank you for reminding Catholics, as well as all other Christians, that God does not condemn LGBT individuals. The Bible preaches love and acceptance, so thank you for practicing what you preach. By loving and accepting the LGBT community you have restored the Christian faith in numerous LGBT individuals, as well as their heterosexual supporters such as myself.

Thank you for being the one of the first popes to support women's contraceptive usage; even if you were referring to certain situations, it was huge. You recognized how much the Zika virus was affecting pregnant women and their newborns (they are being born with major birth defects), and instead of standing by the ageless Catholic belief on contraceptives, you acted progressively. By stating that "avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil," you gave millions of women hope. You gave the Zika-infected women power, you gave them the power to prevent bringing another infected person in to this world and the power to continue having sexual relations with their spouses. You gave all Catholic women reassurance, as women are no longer under the impression that they are going to hell for using birth control. I am a strong advocate of women's rights, and your stance on contraceptives has given me even more hope as a Catholic.

Pope Francis, you have reformed the Catholic Church more than any other pope has, and I am so thankful for that. By broadening the church's beliefs and keeping an open-mind towards every individual, I have gained so much more respect for the religion. I understand that there are still some Catholic extremists out there, and that is beyond your control. But I just wanted to thank you for reassuring me. I was confused about my religion, but you have reminded me what it means to be a Catholic. Being a Catholic means being loving, understanding, and accepting, so I am proud to be able to say again, with complete confidence that I am a Catholic. Thank you Pope Francis, and God bless you.

With love,

A religiously confused college student