Pope: Atheists Redeemed by Doing Good

Pope Francis caused a stir this week when he declared during his homily at Wednesday Mass in Rome that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists, the Huffington Post reports. Francis emphasized the importance of "doing good" as a principle that unites all humanity, and told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus. "Even them, everyone," the pope answered. "We all have the duty to good. ... The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists. Everyone! ... We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there."