Mother recounts faith journey after son killed

Diane Foley spoke at a vigil led by Pope Leo XIV in St Peter’s Basilica on September 15 as part of the Jubilee of Consolation. The vigil was “dedicated to all those who are experiencing or have experienced moments of particular difficulty, grief, suffering or hardship in their lives”, according to the section of the Dicastery for Evangelisation in charge of organising the Holy Year.

Mrs Foley spoke about her son, James, a US journalist who worked in conflict zones and was kidnapped, once in Libya, then in Syria, where he was ultimately beheaded by members of ISIS in 2014. 

Telling the story of his Catholic faith and passion for “giving voice to the voiceless”, Mrs Foley also spoke of the pain and anguish of finding out “my innocent, good-hearted son was taken at gunpoint, sold and held captive for the ‘crime’ of being a journalist – just as our beloved innocent Jesus was condemned to death for our sins”, she said, her voice catching with emotion.

“Anger surged within me – anger at ISIS, at our US government, at those who refused to help. Bitterness threatened to consume me,” she said. She found comfort in the Stations of the Cross, and “Jesus and Mary became my constant companions, along with countless earthly angels whose compassion lifted me up”.

The unexpected happened, Mrs Foley said, when Alexanda Kotey, one of the jihadists who had kidnapped and tortured her son, offered to meet with the family after he pleaded guilty to all eight counts of kidnapping, torture and murder.

“The three days of meeting with Alexanda became moments of grace,” she said, as “God gave me the grace to see him as a fellow sinner in need of mercy, like me”, and she turned evil into good by establishing the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. The group advocates for the safe return of Americans taken hostage and educates student journalists about safety practices in places of danger.

Lucia Di Mauro also spoke at the prayer vigil about forgiving and supporting the young man who was an accomplice in the 2009 murder of her husband, Gaetano Montanino, in Naples, Italy.

In his homily, Pope Leo said “the testimonies we have heard speak of a truth: that pain must not give rise to violence, and that violence never has the final say, for it is conquered by a love that knows how to forgive”. 

“The violence suffered cannot be erased, but forgiveness granted to those who offend us is a foretaste of the kingdom of God on earth,” he said.

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