'Hell does not exist'—the surprising declaration of Pope Francis
“They are not punished, those who repent obtaining the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot, therefore, be forgiven disappear,” Pope Francis said, as translated by Catholic blog Rorate Caeli. According to a recent interview by a veteran journalist from La Repubblica newspaper and Pope Francis, hell does not exist.
The report published by a veteran journalist from La Repubblica raises doubts and could annoy the most conservative. “There is no hell in which the souls of sinners suffer for all eternity,” Pope Francis said in an interview that generated doubts and controversy. La Reppublica newspaper quoted Francis as saying: “They are not punished. Those who repent obtaining God’s forgiveness and take their place among the ranks of those who contemplate him.” However, “those who do not repent and therefore cannot be forgiven, disappear,” said the Argentine Pontiff, as published the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Hell does not exist; what exists is the disappearance of the sinful souls, “he added in a series of statements that could irritate the most conservative sectors of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis was interviewed by Eugenio Scalfari, a veteran Italian journalist who proclaims himself an atheist but usually reflects on faith and religion and has access to the religious leader. However, in the past, the veracity of some of the journalist’s quotes have been questioned, especially since Scalfari, 93, admitted that he never records his interviews. Despite this, the Vatican has not protested his work and the Pope continues to accept being interviewed by Scalfari. However, despite the interview, the Vatican insists Hell is despite reports suggesting Pope Francis said it doesn’t exist and sinning souls just ‘disappear’. A Spokesman of the Vatican explained how the article “was the fruit of his reconstruction” and not a “faithful transcription of the Holy Father’s words.” “What is reported by the author in today’s article is the result of his reconstruction, in which the literal words pronounced by the Pope are not quoted. No quotation of the aforementioned article must, therefore, be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father,” the Vatican said in a statement translated by the Catholic News Agency. Official Catholic doctrine states that “immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell”, which include “eternal fire”. This isn’t the first time the Vatican has issued a statement distancing itself from the controversial journalist. In 2014, the journalist said the pontiff had abolished sin. Source: Rorate Caeli Catholic News Agency Featured image credit: Shutterst.
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