Jesus Christ is the "son of a God who is love and who wishes with all His being that man, every man, discover himself and also live as His true son," Pope Francis explained.
He said that Jesus' Resurrection is not done "to triumph over those who rejected him" but instead "to attest that the love of God is stronger than death, the forgiveness of God is stronger than any sin, and that it is worthwhile to spend one's life, to the end, witnessing this immense gift."
The originality of the Christian faith rests in its foundation on the Incarnation and its participation in Jesus' relationship with God the Father, he said.
Jesus' life means that "we are all called to be children of the one Father and brothers among ourselves."
"The singularity of Jesus is for communication, not for exclusion," the Pope added. The Christian life means service to all men and to "the whole of man" to keep awake "the sense of hope that drives one to do good despite everything and always looking to the beyond."
Pope Francis' letter also considered the role of non-Christians. He praised the Jewish people's persevering faith in God and his remarks about non-believers made headlines.
In answer to the question of whether God forgives "one who doesn't believe and doesn't seek the faith," the Pope responded that "the mercy of God has no limits if one turns to him with a sincere and contrite heart." He stressed the non-believer's need for "obeying one's conscience."
"Sin, also for those who don't have faith, exists when one goes against one's conscience. To listen to and to obey it means, in fact, to decide in face of what is perceived as good or evil. And on this decision pivots the goodness or malice of our action," the Pope said.
Pope Francis characterized his letter to Scalfari as "tentative and provisional" but also a "sincere and confident answer to the invitation to escort you in a segment of the road together."