In comments likely to enhance his progressive reputation, Pope Francis has written a long, open letter to the founder of La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, stating that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.

Responding to a list of questions published in the paper by Mr Scalfari, who is not a Roman Catholic, Francis wrote: “You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. I start by saying – and this is the fundamental thing – that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience.

“Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience.”


Robert Mickens, the Vatican correspondent for the Catholic journal The Tablet, said the pontiff’s comments were further evidence of his attempts to shake off the Catholic Church’s fusty image, reinforced by his extremely conservative predecessor Benedict XVI. “Francis is a still a conservative,” said Mr Mickens. “But what this is all about is him seeking to have a more meaningful dialogue with the world.”


In a welcoming response to the letter, Mr Scalfari said the Pope’s comments were “further evidence of his ability and desire to overcome barriers in dialogue with all”.

In July, Francis signalled a more progressive attitude on sexuality, asking: “If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?”


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-assures-atheists-you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-god-to-go-to-heaven-8810062.html

If pope could say this, that means he has an unjust and useless god.

There's great wisdom in his words.

doublewisdom:
There's great wisdom in his words.

What are the great wisdom in his statements? An atheistic and illusionary pope going against the inscriptions of the ancient Rome and the Jews fairies.

Alarm bells should be going off. Eternal life is not rewarded for good living; that would contradict many other Scriptures which clearly state that salvation is not by works, but is all of God’s grace to those who BELIEVE (e.g., Rom 6:23; 10:9-10; 11:6; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. Furthermore, Conscience is an important part of human nature, but it is not an absolutely trustworthy indicator of what is right. One’s conscience can be
“good” (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19) and “clear” (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 13:18), but it can also be “guilty” (Heb 10:22), “corrupted” (Titus 1:15), “weak” (1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12), and “seared” (1 Tim 4:2). All people need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ so that “the blood of Christ” might “cleanse [their] consciences” (Heb 9:14).)


A god that allows for human in the form of pope to misinterpret his celestial book.

All I have to say is that the new law is written in our hearts.

menesheh:



What are the great wisdom in his statements? An atheistic and illusionary pope going against the inscriptions of the ancient Rome and the Jews fairies.

Alarm bells should be going off. Eternal life is not rewarded for good living; that would contradict many other Scriptures which clearly state that salvation is not by works, but is all of God’s grace to those who BELIEVE (e.g., Rom 6:23; 10:9-10; 11:6; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. Furthermore, Conscience is an important part of human nature, but it is not an absolutely trustworthy indicator of what is right. One’s conscience can be
“good” (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19) and “clear” (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 13:18), but it can also be “guilty” (Heb 10:22), “corrupted” (Titus 1:15), “weak” (1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12), and “seared” (1 Tim 4:2). All people need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ so that “the blood of Christ” might “cleanse [their] consciences” (Heb 9:14).)


A god that allows for human in the form of pope to misinterpret of his celestial book.

My brother don't use the Bible to defend a biased notion of yours...
What do you take the Bible for,God?
Its only those that makes a baseless argument quote the Bible all the time..I want you to know this....

THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY HUMANS LIKE YOU AND THERE WAS THE CHURCH BEFORE THE BIBLE...
THERE ARE STILL SOME CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE WHICH WASN'T PUT THERE...WHICH ARE IN THE CUSTODY OF THE THOSE THAT COMPILED IT(THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH).

I am not saying the Bible is Not the answer..
But all doubts cannot be cleared with the Bible..

This Pope is kinda getting controversial, but I like his expressiveness

Mologi:


My brother don't use the Bible to defend a biased notion of yours...
What do you take the Bible for,God?
Its only those that makes a baseless argument quote the Bible all the time..I want you to know this....

THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY HUMANS LIKE YOU AND THERE WAS THE CHURCH BEFORE THE BIBLE...
THERE ARE STILL SOME CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE WHICH WASN'T PUT THERE...WHICH ARE IN THE CUSTODY OF THE THOSE THAT COMPILED IT(THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH).

I am not saying the Bible is Not the answer..
But all doubts cannot be cleared with the Bible..

You are wrong bro. all the foundational truth we need is in the Bible. And yes the Bible is complete. I know of so many other books and narrations that did not make it into the Bible, but what we have as a working instrument is the Bible which is by itself whole. Some of the books you are talking of are books written by some crafty fellows to smuggle some customs and doctrines from the other side into the church. Some are meant to perverse the word of God.
Everything we need to know/do to get saved is in the Bible. It's better to trust what you know than to believe in some people's subjective postulations in clear negation of the Bible. We use this issue of incompleteness to justify some doctrinal error and spiritual tangents.
It's even wrong to see a human, no matter the level of anointing, as infallible. Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul were all fallible but justified by faith. Why then is infallibility associated with papal seat.

Mologi:


My brother don't use the Bible to defend a biased notion of yours...

Am not necessarily defending any preconceptions or bias. You are the one expressing bias and defending your presuppositions hence taking the bible in its face value devoid of skepticism, profound evaluation and remotely being metaphorical.

What do you take the Bible for,God?

bible and god are human construct.

Its only those that makes a baseless argument quote the Bible all the time..I want you to know this....


THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY HUMANS LIKE YOU AND THERE WAS THE CHURCH BEFORE THE BIBLE...
THERE ARE STILL SOME CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE WHICH WASN'T PUT THERE...WHICH ARE IN THE CUSTODY OF THE THOSE THAT COMPILED IT(THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH).

So why do you have the notion that the claims in the bible aren't man's imaginative impulses rather than a hide and seek god.

You acknowledged that the bible was written by men, what are your evidence and justification that there is a god that inspired anything. Not only that such god didn't write anything himself but left the authorship of those book in the hands of totalitarian authorities that are capable of manipulating the scripts.

I am not saying the Bible is Not the answer..
But all doubts cannot be cleared with the Bible..

This is where you are getting more confused. Roman authority envisioned the more explicit books and some verses ( supposedly, should be in the bible but weren't there) which would necessarily go against the whole mishmash stories as presented in the bible, then purposely decided to exclude them from their collection. Why not ask yourself why those books weren't in the bible anyway.

Again, old story.

Very smart Pope Francis, he used the beginnings of Abraham to awaken their minds