Pope proclaims all redeemed, even atheists.

[Gaveo]

Bravo, I am slowly regaining my faith in the Catholic Church.

[European Socialist Republic]

No, this can't be real... Someone else must be pulling the strings...
I know! The pope is actually an Atheist spy who has infiltrated the Vatican under the orders of the International Conspiracy for Communist World Domination so they can brainwash all religious people into atheists! Brilliant!

[Czechanada]

And in the distance, Protestants and Muslims grew jealous of Roman Catholicism.

[The Spiral Future]

Stop being evil to what Catholic Church now as he as sent everyone to heaven, even terrorist.

No, he said as long as you do good and not evil. I doubt he views blowing people up as good.

[The Balkin States]

So first a pope resigns for the first time in a really long time, and now the new pope (who is already the first pope from the western hemisphere, apparently) says this.

Fun.

[European Socialist Republic]

Stop being evil to what Catholic Church now as he as sent everyone to heaven, even terrorist.

He only said those who do good. Terrorists didn't do good.

[Technopolis]

Ooh, thanks pope. Glad to see the thing I don't believe exists approves of my existence.

[Bothara]

He's a bro pope.

A brope.

[Czechanada]

So first a pope resigns for the first time in a really long time, and now the new pope (who is already the first pope from the western hemisphere, apparently) says this.

Fun.

And bears will now gain the ability to fly, and drop feces anywhere they please rather than just in a forest.

[Aedruvia]

Guys, I think you misunderstand the Pope's statement. His not saying that everyone is immediately redeemed of their sins, what he is saying is that faith through Jesus Christ being the Messiah and asking for forgiveness is what absolves you of your sins. God loves everyone and wants all of humanity to know Him and love Him. Jesus gave his life so that EVERYONE could come to know God.

[Conscentia]

This isn't new stuff.
If I recall correctly, the Catholic Church teaches that it's perfectly possible for non-Christians to achieve salvation, via the doctrine of apocatastasis.

[Old Tyrannia]

Holy ****! Okay, that's one of the last things I ever expected a pope to say. This guy is full of surprises.
I hope this causes some people who think "ATHEISTS ARE EVIL!!!" to rethink their stance.

If they're Catholic they don't have a choice.....unless they go heretic of course

He actually said killing in the name of Catholicism is blasphemy.....doesn't this mean the crusades were too. Amaxing stuff.

There's always sedevacantism. Then it's the Pope who's the heretic, for embracing the heresy of modernism.

[Der Teutoniker]

Apparently not, the dude just called the Crusades blasphemous. Saved if you do saved if you don't if I'm reading the above right.

The requirements to heaven are apparently : Do not be a jackass

I doubt it. I'd guess it's more that the Pope is recognizing that atheists can be good people too (and they certainly can) and that Jesus died for their redemption (which He certainly did - according to the New Testament.)

I think it's more of an outreach, a new way to approach relationships with non-Catholics, and non-Christians. A new approach that resembles more the attitude that Christ seemed to espouse, rather than the attitude that the Catholic Church usually seems to take.

[Mike the Progressive]

Ooh, thanks pope. Glad to see the thing I don't believe exists approves of my existence.

Well sort of better than saying "Hey, bro, fuck you, you're going to hell." Don't you think? Who cares, that's what I think.

[European Socialist Republic]

Guys, I think you misunderstand the Pope's statement. His not saying that everyone is immediately redeemed of their sins, what he is saying is that faith through Jesus Christ being the Messiah and asking for forgiveness is what absolves you of your sins. God loves everyone and wants all of humanity to know Him and love Him. Jesus gave his life so that EVERYONE could come to know God.

No, he only said "do good".

[New Event Horizon]

Oh, good. I was worried what the pope thought of me and whether I would be allowed into his fantasy dream land. Now I have one less worry in my life. </sarcasm>
In all seriousness (what little there is, anyway), it goes to show that the Catholic Church is starting to adapt to the modern world. Okay, so it took until the 1980s for them to say the earth wasn't flat, but they've been doing quite well ever since.

[Der Teutoniker]

Guys, I think you misunderstand the Pope's statement. His not saying that everyone is immediately redeemed of their sins, what he is saying is that faith through Jesus Christ being the Messiah and asking for forgiveness is what absolves you of your sins. God loves everyone and wants all of humanity to know Him and love Him. Jesus gave his life so that EVERYONE could come to know God.

I think this is it. It's not that new, the big thing here that seems to be new is the Pope's acknowledgement that atheists aren't necessarily bad people.

A good stance to take.

[Miyager]

Ooh, thanks pope. Glad to see the thing I don't believe exists approves of my existence.

It's the principle, but ok.

[Conserative Morality]

I'm just sitting here, rubbing my eyes, trying to figure out whether or not I'm hallucinating.

[The Spiral Future]

If they're Catholic they don't have a choice.....unless they go heretic of course

He actually said killing in the name of Catholicism is blasphemy.....doesn't this mean the crusades were too. Amaxing stuff.

There's always sedevacantism. Then it's the Pope who's the heretic, for embracing the heresy of modernism.

Do they see the modern popes link this : http://24.media.tumblr.com/0a04c5fca6b0 ... o1_500.gif

[Risottia]

Link : http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05 ... en1-694445

By the way this isn't the best article, even if it is straight from the Vatican.

------------------------

(Vatican Radio) “Doing good” is a principle that unites all humanity, beyond the diversity of ideologies and religions, and creates the “culture of encounter” that is the foundation of peace:

...Damn, this means I'm not going to hell anymore?

[The USOT]

Well the doctrine is still terrible. For everyone to be redeemed we must all have had original sin, which is simply awful.

However I suppose this is progress?

What I wonder though is what the point in being a christian is if you get exactly the same outcome from every other ideology, and the church beleives that people outside of itself also do good...

Seems to make being a christian irrelevant... even pascals wager loses what little merit it had with this.

[Risottia]

No, this can't be real... Someone else must be pulling the strings...
I know! The pope is actually an Atheist spy who has infiltrated the Vatican under the orders of the International Conspiracy for Communist World Domination so they can brainwash all religious people into atheists! Brilliant!

Hush! Keep the secret, comrade!

[Kanaria]

This is an honorable expression of magnanimity from a church that is quietly spreading this in some ways, and not spreading it in other ways. It's amazing how he said that to kill in God's name is blasphemy! This could lead to a whole new age in the Catholic Church...I hope.

[Cannot think of a name]

I don't know if you have read it right - but as far as I'm concerned: I know I am a good person, I don't need a man whose the head of a religion I vehemently disagree with to tell me that. I can be good without his endorsement or redemption.

Well, certainly. It's not like any of us were running around thinking, "Man, I wish the Pope would acknowledge us..." or "man, even though I don't believe in god and Jesus and all that, I hope I can get some sort of pass for that heaven thing..."

However, to have him at least in a round about way tell his followers to get off our back, or to just acknowledge that they don't have a monopoly on good deeds, it's a decent gesture.