Pope's letter to non-believers in Italian paper La Repubblica

Vatican Radio ^ | September 11, 2013

[NYer]

(Vatican Radio) Does God forgive non-believers? Does absolute truth exist? And is God merely a creation of the human mind?
In a lengthy letter to the former editor of the Italian daily ‘La Repubblica’, Eugenio Scalfari, Pope Francis shares reflections on these three questions and urges all non-believers to engage with Christians in an open and sincere conversation.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report:

In the letter published on Wednesday, the Pope laments the impasse that has grown up over the centuries with those who see Christianity as ‘dark and superstitious,’ in opposition to the ‘light of reason’.
Quoting from the recent encyclical ‘Lumen Fidei’, the Pope stresses that, on the contrary, faith must never be intransigent or arrogant, but rather humble and able to grow in relationship with others.


Responding to the three questions posed by the Italian journalist and writer, the Pope says the key issue for non-believers is that of “obeying their consciences” when faced with choices of good or evil. God’s mercy, he stresses, “has no limits” for those who seek him with a sincere and contrite heart.


Reflecting on the question of absolute truth, Pope Francis says he prefers to describe the truth in terms of a dynamic relationship between each Christian and Jesus, who said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’. The truth of God’s love, the Pope insists, is not subjective, but it is only experienced and expressed as a journey, a living relationship with each one of us, in our different social and cultural contexts.


Thirdly, Pope Francis considers the question of God as a creation of the human mind, who will thus disappear when human beings cease to exist on earth. In my experience, he says - and in that of so many other Christians past and present – God is not merely an idea but is a “Reality” of infinite goodness and mercy, revealed to us through his son, Jesus of Nazareth.


Reflecting on the originality of the Christian faith in relations to other religions, the Pope stresses the role of Jesus who renders us all sons and daughters of God, therefore also brothers and sisters to each other. Our arduous task, he says, is that of communicating God’s love to all, not in a superior way, but rather through service to all people especially those on the margins of our societies.


Finally the Pope spoke of his deep respect and friendship for people of Jewish faith – especially those with whom he worked so closely in his native Argentina. Reflecting on the terrible experience of the Shoah, he said, we can never be grateful enough to the Jews who maintained their faith in God, thus teaching us too to remain always open to his infinite love.

[verga]

Thank you for proving my point so well and quickly.

[Cvengr]

We are all condemned before we are saved.

Nobody is saved for being good.

Why did man fall from grace initially?

He ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. All humans today are distracted away from our available fellowship with God because we are too busy discerning or judging good from evil, then confusedly seeking good or evil as a counterfeit substitute for what God provides for us.

The evidence of God is everywhere around us both physically and mentally.

[SkyPilot]

Please read Romans 1.

[Gamecock]

non-believers is that of “obeying their consciences” when faced with choices of good or evil

Oh really?

Wow.

The Roman Catholic Church is more heretical than I thought.

[mdmathis6]

Well...just when I was just getting around to respecting this pope...he pulls this stunt...”you don’t have to believe in God to go Heaven!” Or was something lost in translation?

[daniel1212]

Another one, by a poster who was not addressed, against a considerate posters who said ,

I would never utter a word about Catholicism on this site if it weren’t for all the Roman Catholic propagandists, of whom you are one of the most prolific. It simply must be countered because it’s deadly poison. And it has enough of the truth in it to fool the unsuspecting and unwise. I’ve got no agenda other than to spread the good news of Christ and His gospel of free grace, the only gospel that saves human souls.

[WVKayaker]

... if it weren’t for all the Roman Catholic propagandists, of whom you are one of the most prolific.

? I always thought of myself as Christian, of the Protestant persuasion.

[verga]

Thank you for posting such accurate gifs of the average protestant.

I am sure that an i8ntelligent poster will realize that none of mine were crying or whining. They were simply a presentation of the facts that all Christians can see.

[bramps]

Here are his relevant words:

“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.”

The pope specifically says .”those who do not BELIEVE in God”. The pope does not say ,”those who are ignorant of God”. How can they not believe if they don't know who he is?

If someone asked you any kind of question about someone you were ‘invincibly ignorant’ (you state that as though it has some scriptural background. where did you get that?) of, what would be your reply? You probably would say something like, “I have no idea who he/she is, so I don't know”. You wouldn't come out and flatly say, “ I don't believe him/her?

How about this line from the ‘pope’ for a cherry on the sundae?

“Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience.”
This guy's nuts and this is the kind of comment you get from a clueless teenager. Thousands of murderer's, rapists, abortionists, etc. have no problem with their conscience relative to their crimes. Does that mean they didn't sin? This ‘pope’ seems to think so. Please run, no sprint, in the opposite direction from this guy.

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[thesearethetimes...]

“...one’s conscience. Listening to it and abiding by it means making up one’s mind about what is good and evil.”

I know I am late to the party, but that sounds an awful lot like 0bama’s explanation of his belief system... the link to the entire interview follows.

GG:
Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA:
Yes.

GG:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

GG:
What happens if you have sin in your life?

OBAMA:
I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. If I’m true to myself and my faith, that is its own reward. When I’m not true to it, that’s its own punishment.

http://www.weboflove.org/inspiring_stories_08/081125_barack_obama_spiritual_beliefs_views

May God keep watch.
Tatt

[GeronL]

Has this Pope already gone senile?

[SumProVita]

The word Catholic was invented centuries later...

________________________

When exactly and by whom?

[GeronL]

Doesn’t matter any more.

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

So the Bible doesn’t factor into anything. It is whatever your conscience says. If your conscience says its a sin not to slaughter babies or rape children, then you’d better hop to it.

[GeronL]

Some slick PR guy no doubt

[SumProVita]

Doesn’t matter any more.

________________________

It seemed to matter to you when you made the statement. Does this seem to be an intelligent way to make your case...by not responding to a call for more specific proof that what you said was true ... and then follow that by an attempt to change the subject with a straw man?