In his message to Catholics on Wednesday, Pope Francis told believers that people of other faiths and atheists are redeemed through Christ and that all people should come together to do good.
“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. “But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.” Yes, he can… The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! “Father, the atheists?” Even the atheists. Everyone! .. We must meet one another doing good. “But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!” But do good: we will meet one another there.
In response to the Pope’s message, Father James Martin, S.J., a Jesuit priest and noted author of several popular books on Catholicism, told The Huffington Post, “Pope Francis is saying, more clearly than ever before, that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone. That’s always been a Christian belief. You can find St. Paul saying in the First Letter to Timothy that Jesus gave himself as a ‘ransom for all’” …