Last month, 12-year-old Genesis Butler urged the Pope to go vegan for Lent, promising, on behalf of the Million Dollar Vegan campaign, $1m to a charity of his choice. Now a Secretary of State official has replied in a letter which relays the Pope’s thanks. “He appreciates the concerns about care for the world, our common home, which prompted you to write to him,” the letter read. “The Holy Father will remember you in his prayers, and he sends you his blessing.” Butler said she was “truly humbled” to receive the Holy Father’s blessing: “It means more to me than I can ever express in words.” She has asked if she might share a vegan lunch with the Pontiff during Lent.