Catholic Pope Francis made a startling revelation Thursday by stating that hell did not exist, in an interview with a leading liberal Italian newspaper.

In an article entitled “It is an honor to be called a revolutionary,” La Repubblica editor Eugenio Scalfari acknowledged the pontiff’s previous remarks about how “good souls” who sought repentance from God would receive it and then asked: “What about the bad souls?”. Seemingly going against centuries of core Christian belief, Pope Francis said the souls of sinners simply vanished after death, and were not subject to an eternity of punishment. MORE & MORE