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I once posed this question to our family’s traditionalist Catholic priest when I was a teenager, I had just turned 18 years old.

There is a mafia mob boss. He is Catholic and believes in God, goes to mass, makes confessions although perhaps not completely honestly.

He has ordered the murder of several people, killed a few people himself, oversees an empire of gambling, extortion, theft rings, political bribery, prostitution including that of underage girls and boys, drug dealing, and has cheated on his wife many, many times with women he often treats miserably, beating them and discarding them when they bored him. And he is alternately abusive or neglectful of his children unless it involves writing checks to get into a good school or getting them out of trouble. He gives to charity but only if he gets the positive PR and press for it.

He knows deep down that what he is doing is wrong but his greed and need to be in control, to be seen as an all-powerful man is too strong for him to go straight, even as one of his priests had asked him to over the years.

He sins, asks for forgiveness and then goes out and sins again. Sins over and over and over again.

But then in his final minutes alive, on his death bed, gasping his very last breaths, not so much wanting to be in the loving arms of his Savior but more so fearing going to and suffering in Hell, he calls for a priest, confesses to all his numerous sins and asks for forgiveness, makes an Act of Contrition and the priest gives him Last Rites.

On the other side of the world in an extremely rural and very remote part of India, lives a woman who is Hindu (or Buddhist). It’s the only religion she’s ever known. She’s perhaps only vaguely heard of Christianity and of Jesus if at all and knows pretty much nothing about Him. She’s never seen a Bible and even if she had, couldn’t read it because she’s illiterate. She’s never been evangelized or approached by any Christian missionaries. No one has ever taught or exposed her to anything different.

Yet she unknowingly follows many of Christ’s teachings.

While very poor herself, she gives to those less fortunate than herself, she attends to the sick and disabled in her village, shares her meager food with her neighbors if needed, takes care of both her and her husband’s elderly parents.

She once helped some European hikers (strangers) who got lost and invited them into her home and fed them without question or asking for anything in return and helped them find the road out.

She’s never cheated on her husband, never stolen anything, never cheated anyone, never told a lie, never cursed at anyone, never even raised her voice in anger and has turned the other cheek even when wronged herself and she has strived to teach her children to be kind and generous and honest.

Then after living a very long and exemplary life, she dies.

I asked the priest, “So you will have me believe that this Mafia boss eventually goes to Heaven and this Indian woman goes straight to Hell?”

He told me “As Jesus told us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” He also told me I was bordering on committing Heresy for even asking him such an insolent question.

I told him, “Father. I have to be honest with you. If your heaven is populated with people like the Mafia guy and not by people like the Indian woman, I’d rather suffer in a Hell alongside the truly good people you think should be condemned”.

Then I told my parents I would no longer go to Mass at our traditionalist Catholic church.

My mother was apoplectic but my father, while still going, supported my decision and said he didn’t disagree with me.