Jesus' prayer for the Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross that were killing Him is not reasonably extrapolated against the whole of Scripture where such extrapolation would only find copious contradiction.
Not all are predestined to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself. The path of destruction is broad and narrow is the gate that leads to life.
Righteousness of self that is not the likeness of Christ is by no means the same as putting on the new self, which is His likeness.
Would you indeed equate ignorance with being saved and walking in the Light? Why do you feel the need to equate grace through faith--the gift from God--with Mother Teresa's "distressing disguises", even if such a one were as an angel of Light, as Satan is known to disguise himself? God's Word should never be so supplanted!
Hebrews 11 instructs that many prior to Christ did faith-filled deeds, even in anticipation of Christ, but those did not achieve the salvation of Christ. Their works were considered righteousness, but they did not receive what was promised and only fulfilled in Christ! There was still the need of a Savior, who is Christ the Lord! Apart from that and the faith-gifted believers in the Savior even those would not be made perfect.
Francis is not reiterating divinely revealed mysteries but denying Scripture, with which he is apparently unfamiliar, which is truly in God's Hands to grant or withhold. To get where Francis is, he must surely have had a power to influence many, apparently in sinister ways.
HF
Everyone not saved is already dead in their sins. Ignorance has nothing to do with it. We come into this world sinful. This isnt my special interpretation, it is what is written in God’s Word.
Can God save who He wants to save? Of course.
No offense was intended. We see through a glass darkly. We’ve only begun to THINK about God’s mercy. Let’s consider ...
“... for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.”
-Rom 2:14
In Romans and in Acts, St. Paul clearly shows that God’s mercy is not limited by an absence of understanding or the presence of mistaken thinking (as opposed to willful error) about God due to our sin-darkened intellect. Rather, our ignorant state stirs the Holy Spirit to dispel error through evangelism ... “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness [d]through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Regarding Hebrews 11, where do you see the patriarchs “did not achieve the Salvation of Christ”? The text says “they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” What was promised was Christ. Christ’s incarnation completes or perfects the faith that saved them without seeing or fully comprehending how salvation would be accomplished.
[At Christ’s birth, everyone rejoices that the promised Savior is finally present. This child is the Lamb of God who will take away the past sins of David, Moses, etc., and our sins in the future. Note Mary’s rejoicing of Him who will “perform the mercy promised to our fathers.” And Zechariah’s rejoicing: “He promised to show mercy to our fathers: and to remember his holy covenant.” And Simeon’s rejoicing: “My eyes have seen your salvation.”]
Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the Mount of Transfiguration. Surely, they did achieve the salvation of Christ — a free gift given to them in spite of not having the clear, incarnational, Trinitarian thinking you and I may have.