The bishop of Rome is the universal pastor of the whole Church. He’s also traditionally called the Servant of the Servants of God.
This means you can feel free to try to contact him!
Combined with the fact that he is known to respond to people personally–sometimes even calling them on the phone – you may wonder how to contact him.
But how does one go about contacting the Vicar of Christ? Pope Francis does not have an email address and he probably does not read his X (Formerly Twitter) replies.
Below is your answer to how to write a letter to Pope Francis.
Where would you address mail to Pope Francis?
Unlike previous popes, Pope Francis lives in Casa Santa Martha instead of the papal apartment.
The Vatican News website recommends that mail for Pope Francis be sent to this address:
His Holiness, Pope Francis
Saint Martha House
00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
Notice that neither “Italy” nor “Rome” is part of the address since Vatican City is its own country.
When you mail your letter, be sure to have the correct postage and ask your local post office if you are unsure of what you need.
If you mail it from the United States, you can use this online calculator to estimate the needed postage.
How to Write a Letter to Pope Francis
The two key principles here are brevity and respect.
You need to show respect for both Pope Francis and the office of the papacy, which was established by Christ himself. This means using his official address of “His Holiness.”
Brevity is important simply because he receives a lot of mail. If you want him or his workers to read your letter, make it short and to the point.
If you’d like a response, be sure to include your return address and your phone number!