See here: Pope Francis' Letter to the Founder of "La Repubblica" Italian Newspaper for the actual letter itself.
Please read the whole thing for context, but the paragraph they are talking about is here:
So I come to the three questions you put to me in the article of August 7. It seems to me that, in the first two, what is in your heart is to understand the attitude of the Church to those who don’t share faith in Jesus. First of all, you ask me if the God of Christians forgives one who doesn’t believe and doesn’t seek the faith. Premise that – and it’s the fundamental thing – the mercy of God has no limits if one turns to him with a sincere and contrite heart; the question for one who doesn’t believe in God lies in 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.
Also, btw, for the record, here is what the Catechism says about it:
1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery." Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.
Note the word "can" versus "shall" or "will".
Also see Romans 2:
[13] For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. [14] For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature those things that are of the law; these having not the law are a law to themselves: [15] Who shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness to them, and their thoughts between themselves accusing, or also defending one another,
Yes, but your catechism, and the Bible verse you cite, only apply to those who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. So, if the question was about God saving people on some remote island with no contact with the outside world, the answer would be find. When the question is about atheists who have already heard the Gospel and rejected it, the answer is absolutely incorrect.
Your religion always stops at the end of Romans 2 and avoids most every thing in Romans 3 and beyond (where grace has a beginning in Christianity) until it reaches James which you bungle just as well...
First off, justified does not mean saved...Then in Romans 3 we start to learn that people are NOT justified by hearing and doing the law...There was a switcheroo...You have to pay attention to those 'But Nows'...That means something has changed...
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Your pope should have continued reading...
the question for one who doesn’t believe in God lies in obeying one’s conscience.
This is your pope LEADING countless numbers of souls to the pit of Hell...
That only applies to people who don't know of God...Those who have heard of God and reject him do so willingly obviously, and do not have a chance at salvation by their good works...
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.
More nonsense...An atheist is not allowed by God to determine what is good or evil...An atheist is just as justified as a Christian but he will go to hell regardless of how good an atheist he is...