Some have more capacity. Some proceed a few steps along the way. But Christ seemed to love all men. He desired all to be saved.

When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr; or the blood of one man for another; it was the life of God poured out to redeem the world.

The sacraments infuse holiness into the terrain of man's humanity: they penetrate the soul and body, the femininity and masculinity of the personal subject, with the power of holiness.

Christ came down to save us from a terrible hell, and any man who is cast down to hell from here must go in the full blaze of the gospel, and over the mangled body of the Son of God.

Life everlasting in a state of happiness is the greatest desire of all men.

People are not to be driven and you can put into a gnat's eye all the souls of the children of men that are driven into heaven by preaching hell-fire.

When men talk of a little hell it's because they think they have only a little sin and believe in a little Savior.

There is one single fact that one may oppose to all the wit and argument of infidelity; namely, that no man ever repented of being a Christian on his death-bed.

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! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace.

Instead of going through a litany of troubling things Pope Francis has said, let's zero in on just one. On several occasions, the Pope seemed to teach that faith is not necessary to salvation or entrance into Heaven. At the very least, Pope Francis has a positive opinion of an atheist's chances for getting into Heaven.

I have read many Catholic apologists who have tried to explain this away. Many of them are quite technical, whereas the pontiff's words seem simple and clear. I think any fair-minded reader of these words will come away with the idea that this pope believes the "blood of Christ" has redeemed atheists, whether they like it or not.

Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider, nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is created above all things.