THE POPE, ATHEISTS & ECUMENISM Chris discusses the recent stories about Pope Francis and the things he has said to the Atheist community. One headline reported that the Pope told them, "You don't have to believe in God to go to heaven." This is the second time that Francis has given the impression that faith in God and the Gospel are not necessary for redemption and salvation. What could be the rationale for communicating such things to an unbelieving world? Justifying unbelief is not only un-Biblical, it's also contrary to traditional Catholic doctrine. Does the sheer size of the modern Atheist population of the globe have something to do with it? And is it possible that all of this dialogue is the latest effort on behalf of the Vatican's world wide ecumenical movement?