Pope Francis: If you believe in your conscience, you will be forgiven by God

Pope Francis has  said atheists and non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.

He said this in an  open letter to the founder of the Italian La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, in a response to  a list of questions sent to him by Scalfari.

Scalfari  is not a Roman Catholic.

Pope Francis wrote: “You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. I start by saying – and this is the fundamental thing – that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience.

“Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience.”

Robert Mickens, the Vatican correspondent for the Catholic journal The Tablet, said the pontiff’s comments were further evidence of his attempts to shake off the Catholic Church’s fusty image, reinforced by his extremely conservative predecessor Benedict XVI.

“Francis is a still a conservative,” said Mr Mickens. “But what this is all about is him seeking to have a more meaningful dialogue with the world.”

In a welcoming response to the letter, Mr Scalfari said the Pope’s comments were “further evidence of his ability and desire to overcome barriers in dialogue with all”.

In July, Francis signalled a more progressive attitude on sexuality, asking: “If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?”

*First published by Independent of London:Responding to a list of questions published in the paper by Mr Scalfari