Pope's letter to non-believers in Italian paper La Repubblica
(Vatican Radio) Does God forgive non-believers? Does absolute truth exist? And is
God merely a creation of the human mind? In a lengthy letter to the former editor
of the Italian daily ‘La Repubblica’, Eugenio Scalfari, Pope Francis shares reflections
on these three questions and urges all non-believers to engage with Christians in
an open and sincere conversation.
Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report:
In the letter
published on Wednesday, the Pope laments the impasse that has grown up over the centuries
with those who see Christianity as ‘dark and superstitious,’ in opposition to the
‘light of reason’. Quoting from the recent encyclical ‘Lumen Fidei’, the Pope
stresses that, on the contrary, faith must never be intransigent or arrogant, but
rather humble and able to grow in relationship with others.
Responding
to the three questions posed by the Italian journalist and writer, the Pope says the
key issue for non-believers is that of “obeying their consciences” when faced with
choices of good or evil. God’s mercy, he stresses, “has no limits” for those who seek
him with a sincere and contrite heart.
Reflecting on the question of absolute
truth, Pope Francis says he prefers to describe the truth in terms of a dynamic relationship
between each Christian and Jesus, who said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’.
The truth of God’s love, the Pope insists, is not subjective, but it is only experienced
and expressed as a journey, a living relationship with each one of us, in our different
social and cultural contexts.
Thirdly, Pope Francis considers the question
of God as a creation of the human mind, who will thus disappear when human beings
cease to exist on earth. In my experience, he says - and in that of so many other
Christians past and present – God is not merely an idea but is a “Reality” of infinite
goodness and mercy, revealed to us through his son, Jesus of Nazareth.
Reflecting
on the originality of the Christian faith in relations to other religions, the Pope
stresses the role of Jesus who renders us all sons and daughters of God, therefore
also brothers and sisters to each other. Our arduous task, he says, is that of communicating
God’s love to all, not in a superior way, but rather through service to all people
especially those on the margins of our societies.
Finally the Pope spoke
of his deep respect and friendship for people of Jewish faith – especially those with
whom he worked so closely in his native Argentina. Reflecting on the terrible experience
of the Shoah, he said, we can never be grateful enough to the Jews who maintained
their faith in God, thus teaching us too to remain always open to his infinite love.