Pope Francis Letter Saves Suicidal Teen From Killing Himself In Jail; What Did He Write?

Carlos Adrian Jr. was a teen gang member who was charged and convicted at the age of 16, and now finds himself serving an 11-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter. Vazquez says he lost the will to leave at the beginning of his sentence and decided to write a letter to Pope Francis asking for forgiveness before ending his life. "I asked for forgiveness for what I did," Vazquez told CNN en Español. Little did he know that the Pontiff would send a life-changing response.

“Dear Carlos, May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you!” read the Pope’s letter. “I was pleased to receive your recent letter. ... Know that the Holy Father is thinking of you and praying for you. And please remember to pray for me, because I greatly need your prayers,” the Pontiff continued. Vazquez, who’s now 18, was beyond thrilled to receive something like this, and most of all feel noticed and worthy. “I couldn't believe it. I didn't think the Pope would write to someone who's behind bars,” he exclaimed. "It gave me a lot of hope knowing that there are people like the Pope who still have not given up on us. I know I've made mistakes and have hurt people, but what I learned in my two years and five months I've been imprisoned, I didn't know I was hurting people and that I was hurting myself, too," Vazquez said.

The Pontiff also mentioned “a Holy Door to Mercy” being opened at the juvenile jail, in a ceremony led by the Los Angeles archbishop. “I pray that as you and your fellow residents celebrate the opening of the Holy Door, you may receive these gifts and be filled with peace and hope.”

As Vazquez regained the will to live last January, he also expressed his regrets and wrote a letter to the victim’s family: "I ask them to forgive me and told them no words would ever give them back the life I destroyed, but I hope one day they can forgive me for my actions and now I just ask for forgiveness and I want to live the life that my victim didn't have a chance to live and be good,” he said.