by Staff writer
During a recent interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, current leader of the Catholic Church Pope Francis reportedly said hell does not exist.
“There is no hell where the souls of sinners suffer in eternity,” the pontiff was quoted as saying.
“After death, the souls of people who repent are pardoned by God and join in his contemplation. But those who do not repent, and therefore cannot be pardoned, disappear.
“Hell does not exist… what exists is the disappearance of sinful souls.”
Reacting to the news, the Vatican has issued a statement saying the transcript did not properly reflect what the pope had said.
The pope was interviewed by Eugenio Scalfari, a veteran Italian journalist and atheist who regularly muses about faith and religion, and enjoys access to the leader of the Catholic church.
In the past, the veracity of quotes he attributed to the pope has been called into question, especially after the 93-year-old Scalfari admitted to never using a tape recorder during interviews.
The Vatican has never complained about Scalfari’s work, and Francis has continued giving interviews to him.
It is part of the beliefs of Catholics all over the world that there is a place like hell, meant for punishment of sinners after they have died.
This was at least the third time the Vatican has issued statements distancing itself from Scalfari’s articles about the pope, including one in 2014 in which the journalist said the pontiff had abolished sin.
