Does Hell Exist? Pope Francis Says No

[minime]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/does-hell-ex ... 54139.html

In an article entitled "It is an honor to be called a revolutionary," La Repubblica editor Eugenio Scalfari acknowledged the pontiff's previous remarks about how "good souls" who sought repentance from God would receive it and then asked: "What about the bad souls?". Seemingly going against centuries of core Christian belief, Pope Francis said the souls of sinners simply vanished after death, and were not subject to an eternity of punishment.

"They are not punished, those who repent obtain the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear," Pope Francis said, as translated by Catholic blog Rorate Caeli.

"There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls," he added.

Now, don't you feel better?

And god-fearing killers everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief... and loading up!

[minime]

I think ... um, um ... there are more people that are bad than there are good.
And, um ... if you're good, you'll live forever.
And, if you're bad, you'll die when you die ...

[seemslikeadream]

Exorcists in training as Vatican tackles rising cases of the 'demon and possession'
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... and-rises/

I wonder then do the demons just run the earth and have no home? Is that why they are so mad?

[stillrobertpaulsen]

The rest of the article appears to show The Vatican in heavy-duty backpedal-and-deny mode:

Shortly after the article was published, the Vatican issued a statement that claimed the article was "not a faithful transcript" and that the meeting between Pope Francis and Scalfari was a private meeting and not a formal interview.

"What is reported by the author in today’s article is the result of his reconstruction, in which the literal words pronounced by the Pope are not quoted. No quotation of the aforementioned article must therefore be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father," the Vatican said in a statement translated by the Catholic News Agency.

The Catholic New Agency also pointed out that, after a controversial 2013 article, Scalfari admitted that some words attributed to the pontiff "were not shared by Pope Francis" himself.

Still, even if it's not the literal words, if Scalfari just captured the sentiment or idea behind what Pope Francis said, that's quite a revelation.

[dada]

Good thing the pope doesn't tweet.

[Elvis]

Good thing the pope doesn't tweet.

um...

https://twitter.com/Pontifex

[dada]

Good thing the pope doesn't tweet.

um...

https://twitter.com/Pontifex

heh. Yeah, I had a feeling that was going to happen.

Shame on society for insisting on propping up this rickety pyramid. And I'm sure that when it falls on everyone's heads, you'll all act so surprised.

[minime]

Shame on society for insisting on propping up this rickety pyramid. And I'm sure that when it falls on everyone's heads, you'll all act so surprised.

Society rather than being monolithic is infinitely diverse. The Catholic Church has been in free fall for decades. As affluence spreads, the gospel falls on deaf ears.

"The preacher likes it cold
He knows that you're gonna stay."

When it falls on everyone's heads an increasing number of people won't be anywhere near and won't be surprised. I don't know who you're speaking to, or for. And Catholic schools are shuttering in record numbers. I've read the average age for nuns is 69.

But the Church of the Holy Family (run by the Six Stooges)... Well, that's a whole nother story.

[dada]

I meant the pyramid, in general. The hierarchy game. Society as Washington Post unironically reporting on "official tweets," and consumers accepting it without blinking an eye. Culture as the dominant cult.

[minime]

I meant the pyramid, in general. The hierarchy game. Society as Washington Post unironically reporting on "official tweets," and consumers accepting it without blinking an eye. Culture as the dominant cult.

Nevertheless, dada, you are referring to each of these...

pyramid - absolute
hierarchy - absolute
society - absolute
consumers - absolute
culture - absolute

None of these are absolute, and are less applicable now than they have ever been.

What is required here is viveka, discrimination, seeing the elements of these as they are, rather than as members of a class to which they may or may not be a member, if that is even possible. To reinforce the hierarchy, to call it forth, give it a name as a monolithic entity, and in so doing give it absolute power. To instead deconstruct it, identify its individual components and their contigencies.

It is not necessary to say this to some, and wasted on others.

Is it wasted on you? If so, I will let you go.

[dada]

To reinforce the hierarchy, to call it forth, give it a name as a monolithic entity, and in so doing give it absolute power.

No no, I can't take all the credit. I am flattered, though.

But have you considered that this is my intention? By standing against it, I reinforce it. By rejecting it absolutely, I give it absolute power. If one didn't know better, one might think I was the pyramid's best friend.

Please, by all means, go ahead and deconstruct it. I'll listen, nothing is wasted on me.

[minime]

To reinforce the hierarchy, to call it forth, give it a name as a monolithic entity, and in so doing give it absolute power.

No no, I can't take all the credit. I am flattered, though.

But have you considered that this is my intention? By standing against it, I reinforce it. By rejecting it absolutely, I give it absolute power. If one didn't know better, one might think I was the pyramid's best friend.

Effectively yes, dada. Something very much like that. That's how it works. You could look it up.

[dada]

I guess you thought I was being sarcastic?

It must be because of my track record. I've said so much in the other direction, how is it possible that I could be working for the pyramid.

So now that you've caught me, I will not try to hide it. I'm one of the bad guys. Illuminati enemy number 9.

[minime]

What an unhappy life you must have.

[norton ash]

Hell would be sharing a train compartment with you two.