“There is no hell where the souls of sinners suffer in eternity,” Pope Francis was quoted as saying in a Thursday interview with Italian daily La Repubblica.
Francis said: “After death, the souls of people who repent are pardoned by God and join in his contemplation, but those who do not repent, and therefore cannot be pardoned, disappear.
“Hell does not exist – what exists is the disappearance of sinful souls.”
The pope was interviewed by Eugenio Scalfari, a veteran Italian journalist and atheist, who regularly muses about faith and religion, and enjoys access to the leader of the Catholic Church.
In the past, the veracity of quotes he attributed to the pope has been called into question, especially after the 93-year-old Scalfari admitted to never using a tape recorder during interviews.
However, the Vatican has never complained about Scalfari’s work, and Francis has continued giving interviews to him.
However, Vatican issued a statement, stressing that Pope Francis’ claims, in which he allegedly denies the existence of hell, are a pure “reconstruction” of journalist Eugenio Scalfari, who interviewed the pontiff and cannot be regarded as a genuine transcription of his words.
Some users in social media doubted the accuracy of La Repubblica’s report from the very beginning, as this is not the first time that 93-year-old Scalfari, an atheist journalist, makes the Vatican uneasy, citing distorted quotes of Pope Francis.
In addition, Scalfari has repeatedly admitted not to be using a recorder during his interviews with the pontiff.