SAN FRANCISCO, March 29, (THEWILL) – Pope Francis has declared that hell, believed to be a place of condemnation for deceased sinners, does not exist.
The pontiff reportedly said this in an interview with Daily La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper as he was being 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.
“There is no hell where the souls of sinners suffer in eternity,” he 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.”
In the past, the veracity of quotes Scalfari has attributed to the pope has been called into question, especially after the 93-year-old journalist admitted to never using a tape recorder during the interviews.
The Vatican has never complained about Scalfari’s work, and Francis has continued giving interview to him.
Curiously, Hell is part of the beliefs of Catholics all over the world as a place meant for punishment of sinners after they have died.
