A crying boy asked a loaded existential question to Pope Francis during his visit to the St. Paul of the Cross parish in Rome last Sunday. The child named Emanuele, who recently lost his father, asked the pontiff if his dad was in heaven even though he had lived as an atheist.
Pope Francis hugged Emanuele as he asked his question in tears. He learned from the boy that despite being a non-believer, Emanuele's dad still had all his four kids baptized.
"God has the heart of a father," the Pope told the crowd. "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?" the Pope asked and the crowd answered, "No."
Turning to Emanuel, Pope Francis said that he believed his dad had a good heart. He also believes that God was proud of what his father had done because it is hard for a non-believer to agree to a religious sacrament, so Emanuel's father was still a good man.
It's not the first time that Pope Francis has spoken about atheists. During a homily in 2013, the pontiff talked about receiving eternal salvation through Jesus Christ but he also said that even non-believers who do great things for humanity can still have redemption.
"Just do good and we'll find a meeting point," the Pope said.
A little girl also asked the Pope during Sunday's meeting if those who have not been baptized can also be called the children of God. The Pontiff replied that each person God created is His child, including those who sin or have different beliefs. Those who received the sacrament of baptism, however, have the Holy Spirit reinforcing that they are God's children. The Holy Spirit also guides and strenghtens their faith and belief in God.
