Tolkien's words to his son Michael about Holy Communion and talk of canonisation

Pope Francis quoted Tolkien's letter to his son in his Christmas address:.

"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament… There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth."

Tolkien wrote these words of support at a time when his son Michael was going through a difficult period.

Pope Francis is known to be an admirer of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and has spoken of him on more than one occasion, calling him a great thinker. Tolkien was a Catholic who led a deeply devout life, attended church daily and filled his works with Christian values and meanings. Every so often the Catholic world speaks of a possible canonisation of the English writer, but so far the matter has not advanced beyond conferences on the subject and the private circulation of prayers dedicated to him.

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Letter from the Decembrist Mikhail Lunin to his sister, written in the village of Urik on 29 September 1836

Alexander I as King of Poland and the Incorporation of the Duchy of Warsaw into the Russian Empire in 1815

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