Found the quote. Pope Francis said you [the atheist he was writing to at La Repubblica] can be saved "If you turn to Him with a sincere and contrite heart."
It's possible that part wasn't quoted in whatever garbled version of it you might have read in the MSM.
For some unfathomable reason.
I have to disagree with your assessment.
From the Independet UK:
“In comments likely to enhance his progressive reputation, Pope Francis has written a long, open letter to the founder of La Repubblica newspaper, Eugenio Scalfari, stating that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.
Responding to a list of questions published in the paper by Mr Scalfari, who is not a Roman Catholic, 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.”
You just took what Francis replied with, out of context.
What Francis wrote is accurately summed up in the article’s headline: Pope Francis assures atheists: You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven
His writing is crystal clear. He just says they have to follow their conscience if they don’t believe in God.
This is rejection of the Gospel. This is saying heaven is possible for those who a) don’t believe in God, the Gospel and b) you can get there on your own good works (ie being good and following your conscience). That is antichrist. It is another gospel. Not the one the Law drives us to, clinging to it because we know why we can’t earn heaven on our own and can’t be a child of God without it.
I should also point out that this his answer is only a partial answer as well.
He says unbelievers can get to heaven if they follow their consciences.
what he doesn’t say (and should) is that first, people’s morality is relative if they don’t have the objective morality from God in the Bible, so they will be following cultural and social morality norms around them which are not God’s morality and therefore will miss the mark. Second even if they knew God’s standards they would not be able to follow them perfectly, just as we cannot and will not. Therefore they will not have lived perfectly according to their own morality code, or God’s.
This will condemn them. Francis doesn’t point this out. Instead he says their lack of belief, if they just follow their consciences, can save them.
He talks about God’s mercy if you search for Him with a sincere heart. Atheists have no desire to search for God because they don’t believe He exists. They aren’t going to be in the “seeker” category.
He is building a false path to heaven for these lost people, instead of explaining to them their grave condition, and giving them false hope - if they even care, which many don’t, as they don’t believe in God or heaven. Telling people “that’s okay you’re covered” while they are in blatant unbelief is evil.
God does love everyone. Jesus’ death IS payment for everyone’s sins. The Bible is clear however that faith in God, belief in the Gospel, that Jesus was God, He lived a perfect life we couldn’t and died an atoning death, paying for your sins and mine, is what is necessary to be saved. To receive the free gift of salvation. You have to recognize your condition and recognize the gift for what it is and know you need it because you can’t do one thing to get it on your own.
It is sad.