Pope Francis' 5 Most-Controversial Comments

There Is No Hell

Eugenio Scalfari, the atheist philosopher and journalist, claimed in statements published by La Repubblica before Easter Sunday that Francis had told him in a conversation that "Hell does not exist" and that "those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear."

Despite the news being circulated worldwide, the Vatican has since denied that the pontiff ever made those comments.

"What is reported by the author in today's article is the result of his reconstruction, in which the literal words pronounced by the pope are not quoted," the Holy See said last week, as quoted by the Catholic News Agency.

"No quotation of the aforementioned article must therefore be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father."