‘Can I pray with you?’

“When I say, ‘I am a Christian’, Italians hear, ‘I am Catholic,’" says Christine (The Netherlands). That's how it is in Italy. You're either a Catholic or a Jehovah's Witness.”  

Christine has been part of the OM team in Italy since 2019, doing communications. She regularly has conversations about faith with people in her daily life.  

Through volunteering at a local charity store, Christine met many different people and "built friendships with older ladies from Pisa who have time to talk. That is where I met Teresa*, who also volunteered. She was very curious and asked questions about my faith every time we worked together," Christine shares. 

One day, when Christine visited her in the store, Teresa was visibly upset, having had a disagreement with another lady that opened an old wound from a previous relationship. "When I came in, she exclaimed, 'You were sent from heaven. You always give such honest advice.' I asked her, 'Can I pray with you?' I had heard that this can be powerful to do with a Catholic person, as they normally go to church to pray. I prayed for her right there in the store,” recalls Christine. 

"At that moment, she was freed from the bitterness she had been living with for three years. She was able to let go of the pain from her old relationship. She was visibly relieved and at peace. I am very grateful to God that I could be used by Him." 

Trust takes time 

Christine hoped that after receiving prayer in the name of Jesus, Teresa had taken a step closer to God, but the comment, ‘you were sent by God’, was soon ‘you were sent by Mary’ and ‘you were sent by my deceased parents’.  

When Christine invited Teresa to go to church with her, she faced resistance. Teresa, like many other Catholics in Italy, preferred to pray to Mary instead of Jesus Himself. “[Catholics] feel the mother of Jesus can understand them better and will put in a good word for them with her Son,” Christine explained. “They also pray to saints or deceased relatives, who are believed to be able to help you with certain difficulties. It’s a common practice.” 

However, Christine will not give up and continues to pray for Teresa and take every opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with her. Christine knows it's important to be available, to be a good witness for Jesus and to be trustworthy, as in Italy, it can take years to build trust. 

The religious landscape in Italy 

For many people in Italy, Roman Catholicism is deeply intertwined with culture. It is something they grew up with, and many people have not experienced a personal relationship with Jesus.  

According to the latest survey by the Italian statistics agency, ISTAT, from October 2023, 78 per cent of Italians profess themselves to be Catholic. Still, only 19 per cent attend services at least once a week, while 31 per cent never do. 

Many young people have rejected the Catholic Church as they know it, associating it with scandals and hypocrisy. Since this is their main connection with ’Christianity’, they also reject the gospel, since they associate it with traditions and scandals, rather than Bible truth and a new life in Christ.  

Throughout southern Europe, many people go to church to perform rituals or follow traditions. Often, these people are sincerely looking for a relationship with God but lack opportunities to hear the good news of Jesus in a way they can understand. 

Please pray for Teresa and others like her that they may discover that God loves them and that they can have a direct personal relationship with Him through Jesus, without the mediation of Mary or other saints. 

Pray for people like Christine, who show through their daily lives and interactions what it is like to live with Jesus. 

*name changed