Wow Pope Leo XIV Met with Diane Foley who Forgave the ISIS Member who Took Her Son's Life - Journalist Jim Foley
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Pope Leo XIV met with Diane Foley, mother of James Wright Foley American freelance journalist abducted in northern Syria in 2012 and beheaded by Isis on August 19, 11 years ago, at the end of a 24-month kidnapping.
The journalist, James (Jim) Foley, was held hostage for months, with contradictory news, promises of solidarity, and negotiations with the kidnappers that never really started.His story was told by writer Colum McCann, who was also present in the audience with the Pontiff, in the book "American Mother." They participated at Meeting 2025, a traditional event held annually in the Italian city of Rimini.
In October 2021, Diane had the strength and determination to meet Alexanda Kotey, one of her son's killers, to talk to him and tell him who her son Jim really was. In this meeting, she had the strength to forgive him.
She said of the meeting with her son's murderer, Kotey: We need to have a way to communicate so that we can have some compassion for one another. That was the miracle, in many ways, of my meeting with Alexanda. He really listened to me, and I prayed for the grace to listen to him. It was a grace. The Holy Spirit was present in a very profound way. It was a blessing. It was very sad, but it was a blessing.
To Vatican News, Diane spoke about the audience with the Holy Father: “It was an incredible gift. As Americans, we are so honored and grateful to have a Pope born in the United States because we need healing and hope in the world. As an American citizen, I was deeply honored to know him and will pray for him, because we need his guidance to peace and hope in the world.”
Diane also commented on the excitement of receiving a phone call from Pope Francis immediately following her son's murder: "His call was a very special gift. He called soon, a few days after Jim's assassination, before anyone in our government called. And it was very touching, because some of Pope Francis' relatives had suffered a car accident, and he was going through a moment of pain himself, but he decided to contact us. We are thrilled and honored. And the example of Pope Francis was also a gift to me. ”
Foley explained, We need to do more of that because what's happening in Gaza now is inhumane. It's so tragic what is going on in Ukraine and Sudan and so many parts of the world. That is partly why I'm so grateful for the leadership of Pope Leo XIV and his call for peace.To Vatican News, Diane spoke about the audience with the Holy Father: “It was an incredible gift. As Americans, we are so honored and grateful to have a Pope born in the United States because we need healing and hope in the world. As an American citizen, I was deeply honored to know him and will pray for him, because we need his guidance to peace and hope in the world.”
Diane also commented on the excitement of receiving a phone call from Pope Francis immediately following her son's murder: "His call was a very special gift. He called soon, a few days after Jim's assassination, before anyone in our government called. And it was very touching, because some of Pope Francis' relatives had suffered a car accident, and he was going through a moment of pain himself, but he decided to contact us. We are thrilled and honored. And the example of Pope Francis was also a gift to me. ”
She concluded, Forgiveness must entail mercy. Jesus' mercy. The mercy of God. There can be no forgiveness without mercy. Justice is needed. But the biggest thing is mercy. We need to have mercy for one another. Part of forgiving one another is to understand that we're all flawed. We're all sinners, and we all need God's mercy. So to me, it's a story of mercy.
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