Can An Atheist Enter Heaven?

Ultimately, God decides who will enter Heaven.  In the case of a boy named Emanuele whose father passed away an atheist (according to  Emanuele) [1], the pope said, quoted in part from Aletein  in an article (with video) published April 19, 2018, [2]:

If only all of us could cry like Emanuele when we feel sorrow like he does in his heart. He was crying for his dad, and he had the courage to do it before all of us, because he has love for his dad in his heart. I asked Emanuel permission to repeat his question in public, and he said yes. So I’ll say it out loud: “A short time ago, my dad died. He was an atheist, but he had all four of his children baptized. He was a good man. Is Dad in heaven?” What a beautiful thing, that a son says of his father, “He was good.” That man gave a beautiful testimony to his children, for his children to be able to say, “He was a good man.” It’s a beautiful testimony on the part of the son that he has inherited his dad’s strength, and also, that he has had the courage to cry before all of us. If that man was capable of raising children like this, it’s true, he was a good man. He was a good man. That man didn’t have the gift of faith, he wasn’t a believer, but he had his children baptized. He had a good heart. And [Emanuele] is doubting whether or not his dad, not having been a believer, is in Heaven. God is the one who decides who goes to heaven. But how does God’s heart react to a Dad like that? How? What do you think? … A dad’s heart! God has the heart of a father. And faced with a dad, a non-believer, who was able to have his children baptized and to give them that courage, do you think that God would be capable of leaving him far from Him? Do you think so? … Say it loudly, with courage…

All: No!

Pope Francis: Does God abandon his children?

All: No!

Pope Francis: Does God abandon His children when they are good?

All: No!

Pope Francis: There you go, Emanuele, this is your answer. God surely was proud of your dad, because it’s easier to have your children baptized when you are a believer, than to have them baptized when you are not a believer. Surely, this pleased God greatly. Talk with your father, pray to your father. Thank you, Emanuele, for your courage.

We’ve spoken about his dad, and our dad is God. Let us all pray to our dad, God.
“Our Father…”.

Did Emanuele's father pass away an atheist?  This blogger is not so sure.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say, quoted without references [3] [Emphasis added]:

Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the virtue of religion. The imputability of this offense can be significantly diminished in virtue of the intentions and the circumstances. "Believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion."

The faith of Emanuele's father in God was made clear by having his four children baptized.  When a man denies or rejects the existence of God, why would he bring his children to church to be baptized?  Emanuele's father probably had more faith in God in his heart than some who profess to be Christians.  How much faith he had at every moment of his life only he and God knew.

This blogger believes that Emanuele's father is in Heaven and speculates that Emanuele's father might have become an atheist (by name only) because there could have been so-called believers in the faith who had failed him repeatedly in ways that he did not wish to reveal, and that God loved him very much and brought him home early.  Emanuele's father is now watching over his family from Heaven is taking care of Emanuele with unceasing love.

Quoting a prayer from Divinum Officium (pre-Trident Monastic) in Latin and in English [4]:

Fidélium ánimæ per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace.  Amen.
May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

[1] https://aleteia.org/2018/04/16/crying-little-boy-asks-pope-if-his-atheist-dad-could-be-in-heaven/
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc2.htm, paragraph 2125.
[4] http://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl

Demonic Possession

Almost 2,000 years ago when Christ was still in the world, there were people who were possessed by demons.  In each of Mark Chapter 5 and Matthew Chapter 8 there is an account of The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac [1].  In Matthew Chapter 17, there is an account that Christ healed a boy by casting out the demon that possessed him, one which the disciples could not drive out. [2]

In Luke Chapter 11, Christ "by the finger of God" drove out a demon that was mute and made the point that He is from the Kingdom of God and is more powerful than Beelzebul, the prince of demons [3].

In Mark Chapter 3, Christ gave authority to His disciples to drive out demons [4].

Fast forward to 2018, BBC News  published an article dated April 17, entitled Exorcism: Vatican course opens doors to 250 priests reporting that "[a]s many as 250 priests from 50 countries have arrived in Rome to learn how to identify demonic possession." [5]

It also reported as follows [6]:

The week-long Vatican course is described as the only international series of lectures of its kind. Entitled Exorcism and the Prayer of Liberation, it first opened its doors in 2005 and the number of priests attending has more than doubled since then. The event costs €300 (£260, $370) and covers the theological, psychological and anthropological background to exorcisms.

Catholic priests in several countries have told the press there has been an increase in the numbers of people reporting signs of demonic possession.

Last year Pope Francis told priests that they "must not hesitate" to refer parishioners to exorcists if they suffer from "genuine spiritual disturbances".

Half a million people reportedly seek exorcisms every year in Italy, while a report by Christian think-tank Theos in 2017 said that the practice was also on the rise in the UK, in part due to the spread of Pentecostal churches.

Some dioceses have developed their own courses to meet the growing demand, including in Sicily and the US city of Chicago.

In an article on the same topic by the Mirror dated April 17, 2018, entitled You can now get EXORCISMS through your mobile phone  reported as follows [EMPHASIS original] [7]:

It's a sign of the times that even spiritual practices are finding a use for modern technology like smartphones.

A week-long course on exorcism got underway at a Catholic university this week - with the head of the course saying he had performed the religious practice over a cellphone.

Worryingly, it seems that the amount of demonic possessions are on the rise - so any form of tech-enabled exorcisms are probably welcome.

Roughly two hundred students have gathered together on the course which includes topics such as the difference between possession and mental illness.

Other topics covered include witchcraft in Africa, and the ABC's of casting out the demon.

On cell phone use, the National Post  reported as follows in an April 17, 2018, article entitled Priests carry out exorcisms via cellphone thanks to internet access and booming demand [8]:

Demand for exorcisms is booming as a result of a decline in Christian faith and the internet providing easy access to black magic, the occult and Satanism, a Vatican conference was told.

So many people are now asking to be liberated from the Devil’s malign clutches that some priests have taken to saying prayers of liberation — a first step to exorcism —over the phone, the conference for exorcist priests heard.

“There are priests who carry out — exorcisms on their mobile phones. That’s possible thanks to Jesus,” said Cardinal Ernest Simoni, an Albanian who was once tortured and imprisoned by Communist authorities, but continued to perform frequent exorcisms.

His comments took some experts by surprise, with priests pointing out that conducting an exorcism remotely would not be wise because people who are possessed often writhe around violently and have to be restrained to stop them harming themselves.

“Priests pray with people on the phone to calm them down, but if you are not there you cannot control the physical aspects,” said Prof Giuseppe Ferrari, one of the event organisers.

In additional to learning how to perform an exorcism, the priest must have faith, that being the most important prerequisite according to Christ, and "holiness" according to Fr. Vincent Lampert, an exorcist who appeared in a 2016 interview with Raymond Arroyo on a You Tube video [8].  Another interview on You Tube that was published more recently, on April 6, 2018, was with Fr. Cesare Truqui who said the "sanctity of the priest is important in an exorcism." [9]


[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/5, 1-20;
and http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8, 28-34.
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8www.usccb.org/bible/matthew17:52, 14-20.
[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/11:29, 14-23.
[4] http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/3, 13-15.
[5] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43697573
[6] Ibid.
[7] https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/you-can-now-exorcisms-via-12377021
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKWVF2ksKKA, starting at approximately 10:05: https://youtu.be/dKWVF2ksKKA?t=605.
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHDjVPKi0QU, starting at approximately 25:05: https://youtu.be/pHDjVPKi0QU?t=1505

The Bible - An East-West Divide

The paragraph below is quoted from an article dated April 4, 2018, entitled China bans online Bible sales, religious blueprint released  published by ucanews.com (with hyperlinks included) [1]:

On Holy Saturday, China's communist government, deep in talks with the Vatican on a deal to appoint bishops, issued a ban on internet sales of the Bible. Four days later, it issued its first white paper on religious freedom in 21 years, only a week after hauling Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin of Mindong away from his diocese for a few days during Holy Week.

The New American  had this to say in its April 8, 2018, article entitled Cracking Down on Christianity, China Bans Online Bible Sales, quoted in part without hyperlinks [2]:

China is one of the largest producers of Bibles in the world, but its communist leaders don't want their own citizens to have access to the life-changing truths of Scripture. In early April China's government announced a ban on online sales of Bible, part of its efforts to tighten central control over religious expression across the nation.

The New York Times  reported that following the announced ban, “Internet searches for the Bible came up empty on leading online Chinese retailers, such as JD.com, Taobao, and Amazon, although some retailers offered analyses of the Bible or illustrated storybooks.”

The move comes as the Chinese government is trying to halt the influence of Christianity among its citizens. “Among China’s major religions — which include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and folk beliefs — Christianity is the only one whose major holy text cannot be sold through normal commercial channels,” reported the Times. “The Bible is printed in China but legally available only at church bookstores.”

However, the explosion in recent years of online stores has offered easy access to Chinese residents who wanted Bibles. China's oppressive regime is now plugging that loophole in an effort to limit the influence of Christianity while promoting Buddhism, Taoism, and other folk religions as part of President Xi Jinping’s campaign to promote China's native religious traditions.

It is interesting to note that there are Chinese in China who are buying the Bible through online retailers in a country that is largely non-Christian.  What is not known is how well it had been selling.  It would be surprising to have the government of China institute such a ban if just a handful copies of the Bible were being sold each month, considering that the population in China is about 1.4 billion [3].

In contrast to the west, where freedom of religion reigns, Amazon.com's best seller list of books in 2017 did not list the Bible, nor was it on the 2016 list and not yet on the 2018 list [4].  This is probably not a good indication that nobody is buying the Bible since many homes already have a Bible, but whether it is being shared and read by all the members within a family is not certain.

With secularization gaining momentum in the west, why authorities in China need to be concerned about Chinese citizens buying the Bible is a mystery.

If it is God's intention to have a growing presence in China, then there is really nothing that can be done to thwart it.  Is it not human nature that the more something is forbidden, the more curious it becomes and the more intensely it is craved?

What this blogger likes to find out is the real motivation behind this ban on the spread of Christianity "while ... Buddhism, Taoism, and other folk religions [are being promoted]." [5]  Is it because Christian leaders have failed to deliver the essence of Christianity which is to do good without any of its actions being driven by power, politics and money and as a result, Christian churches have become more like non-governmental secular organizations with one salient difference which is that the churches just happen to have tremendous influence over their followers in the name of God?  Or is it because this pope has failed to conform to the precise teachings of Christ at all times and favoring ambiguity instead? [6]

In the blogger's opinion, it is unlikely that the Chinese fear pure goodness that comes from the heart and morality that strengthens the family unit both of which are within the realm of true Catholicity, and it is likely that the Chinese fear that Christianity has become a Trojan Horse that is working to "democratize" China in the name of God, then later reducing God to nothingness through secularization.



[1] https://www.ucanews.com/news/china-bans-online-bible-sales-religious-blueprint-released/81976
[2] https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/28691-cracking-down-on-christianity-china-bans-online-bible-sales
[3] http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/
[4] https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2017/books
[5] https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/28691-cracking-down-on-christianity-china-bans-online-bible-sales
[6] See Michael W. Chapman's post dated April 10, 2018, entitled Pope's Confusing Teaching Rejected, Cardinals Issue Declaration on Marriage at
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/popes-confusing-teaching-rejected-cardinals-issue-declaration-marriage

Morality vs Compassion

Claire Chretien wrote an article for Lifesitenews.com  entilted Here’s why previous popes disagreed with Francis: abortion is greatest of all human rights issues  dated April 9. 2018. [1]  The premise of her article is based on the pope's "devia[tion] from a principle [the pope's] predecessors have taught for centuries: abortion is today’s most pressing and grave human rights abuse." [2]  Her expertly-written analysis is based on the "new apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate ('Rejoice and Be Glad'), wherein [the pope] decried the understanding of migration as an issue 'secondary' to '“grave” bioethical questions.'" [3]  She concluded that "[t]he suggestion that stopping the murder of innocent human babies is just as important as helping the 'situation of migrants' differs from previous papal teachings, in which popes like St. John Paul II asserted that the right to life is the most basic and primary of all." [4]

Claire Chretien's conclusion is flawless using the scales of human morality.  There is no comparison that can be drawn in the murder of the unborn versus the plight of migrants around the world.  An analogy may be appropriate here even though it is not an exact one: the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her spouse Joseph escaped Herod's intent on murdering Jesus by escaping to Egypt. [5]  When this refugee family arrived in Egypt, how ought the Egyptians treat them, morally and leaving them free to fend for themselves, or assisting them with compassion?

The answer is found in the article quoting the pope:  "'the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us, when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him (cf. Mt 25:35)? Saint Benedict did so readily, and though it might have “complicated” the life of his monks, he ordered that all guests who knocked at the monastery door be welcomed “like Christ”, with a gesture of veneration; the poor and pilgrims were to be met with “the greatest care and solicitude”.'" [6]

On the one hand, while is it not immoral or intrinsically evil to go about one's own business without hurting others deliberately, but one who has been given more, spiritually, financially or otherwise is expected to do more, more of what is good which the heart (not the mind) knows innately.

On the other hand, if nobody cares for indigent migrants who could not continue to live without sustenance, is that not analogous to wilful killing should society abandon them?  Can therefore the lack of compassion that leads to death by neglect of the migrants and the poor be equated to death by abortion of those unborn?

Accordingly, even though the mere "existence of poverty" does not rise to the level of the unborn "being pulled apart by an abortionist’s tools" [7], it nevertheless calls for compassionate intervention.  Is it not the Catholic belief that sins (whether of action or of inaction) that are presently committed continue to wound the body of Christ making Him suffer the pains of His Passion continuously?

From a purely intellectual perspective, Claire Chretien is correct that "[t]he suggestion that stopping the murder of innocent human babies [cannot be] just as important as helping the 'situation of migrants'" [8] but in the heart where the compassion of Christ lives, aiding those who are just as defenseless as the unborn ought to have parity in terms of how one analyzes the seemingly non-comparable situations.



[1] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/heres-why-previous-popes-called-abortion-the-greatest-of-all-human-rights-i
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] The Holy Family's escape to Egypt as refugees is the Second of the Seven Sorrows of Mother Mary:
http://www.themostholyrosary.com/appendix1.htm
[6] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/heres-why-previous-popes-called-abortion-the-greatest-of-all-human-rights-i
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Agreeing with the pope is a rare occasion.  This blogger looks forward to agreeing with the pope as the norm rather than the exception.  Quoting in part from Crux [1]:

[I]n a Mass focused on mercy, a signature theme of his papacy, Pope Francis has urged the faithful not to give up on the sacrament of reconciliation, especially those who continue to backslide.

The pontiff urged the faithful to continue to seek reconciliation, or confession, because “every time we are forgiven, we are reassured and encouraged.”

Linking Divine Mercy to the Sacrament of Reconciliation activates Divine Mercy.  Although Divine Mercy may very well be available to non-Catholics who do not have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, nevertheless concluding that the probability that this will occur is beyond the scope of this entry.

Quoted below in part is from the Gospel reading for Sunday, April 8, 2018, from John, Chapter 20 [2]:

As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

For Catholics, confessions are necessary for the forgiveness of sins.  It may seem that when one walks out of the confessional, one sins are forgiven (after completing the required penance).  After that, one should expect to enter Heaven, unless Sainte Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney, the Curé d'Ars, [3] is correct.  Below are some of his words [4], quoted without bold emphasis:

But you may ask, “What does this word ‘repentance’ mean, and how can we tell whether we have it or not?” . . . Now, if you ask me what repentance is, I tell you that it is an anguish of the soul, and a detestation for past sin, and a firm resolve never to sin again. Yes, my brethren, this is the foremost of all conditions which God makes before pardoning our sins, and it can never be dispensed with.

Without (repentance), it is impossible, absolutely impossible, to obtain forgiveness. Yes, my brethren, I must say with deep regret that the want of repentance is the cause of a great number of sacrilegious Confessions and Communions, and what is still more to be regretted is the circumstance that many do not realize what a sad state they are in, and live and die in it.

Now, my friends, if we had the misfortune to conceal a sin in Confession, this sin is constantly before our eyes like a monster which threatens to devour us, and it causes us to soon go to Confession again, so as to free ourselves from it.

But it is different with repentance; we confess, but our heart does not take part in the accusation which we make against ourselves. We approach the Holy Sacrament with as cold, unfeeling, and indifferent a heart as if performing an indifferent act of no consequence. Thus we live from day to day, from year to year, until we approach death, when we expect to find that we have done something to our credit, only to discover nothing but sacrileges, which we have committed by our Confessions and Communions. [Emphasis  added.]

Oh, my God, how many Christians there are who will discover at the hour of their death nothing but invalid Confessions! [Emphasis  added.]

But I will not go further into this matter, for fear that I may frighten you, and yet you ought really to be brought to the verge of despair, so that you may stop immediately, and improve your condition right now, instead of waiting until that moment when you will recognize your condition, and when it will be too late to improve it.

But let us continue with our explanation, and you will soon learn, my brethren, whether you had the repentance in all your Confessions, which is so absolutely necessary for the forgiveness of sin. I said that repentance is an anguish of soul. It is absolutely necessary that a sinner weep over his sins either in this world or the next. In this world we can wipe out our sins by repentance, but not in the next. We should be very grateful to our dear Lord that the anguish of our soul is sufficient for Him to let it be followed by eternal joy, instead of making us suffer that eternal repentance and those awful tortures which would be our lot in the next life, that is, hell.

Divine Mercy Sunday comes around once a year.  Even if all the sins are forgiven this one day, it is not enough. Everyone needs Divine Mercy more often than annually; some may need it multiple times daily.

Pope John Paul II, canonized nearly four years ago on April 27, 2014, once remarked "that 'the Communion lines get longer, the confession lines shorter.'" [5]  It is unlikely that the number of sinless Catholics are growing, so why do many Catholics think that they no longer need to seek the forgiveness of sins before receiving Holy Communion?  Does Divine Mercy now extend to those who find no need for confession and repentance?



[1] https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/04/08/pope-focuses-on-reconciliation-in-mass-dedicated-to-mercy/
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040818.cfm; http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/20:19, 21-23.
[3] Background on St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney - https://brightonoratory.org/2012/08/09/todays-saints-st-jean-baptiste-marie-vianney-confessor/; his miracles - http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/mystical-knowledge-in-saints-reading.html
[4] https://www.returntofatima.org/tag/cure-dars/
[5] online excerpt from a book written by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan