I view it as another small marker on the human journey of reconciliation with objective reality. One day, probably hundreds of years from now, the world will awaken and see all the idol worship for what it is. ā¦And religion will dissolve. It will take a long time, though.
Surely Cory can discern which actions are conscientious and which fear-basedā¦ Although if he genuinely struggles with it, it might explain certain things 
What about violent anti-abortion activists? From their point of view, theyāre just taking a principled utilitarian stand on the trolley problem.
So the atheist side of me is good? What about the gay side? He still lobbying countries about refusing marriage to gay couples? Or how about the trans side of me? He did deny godparent status to a transgender man straight up.
Itās not about whether he can, itās whether politicians can, and the answer to that seems to be āno.ā And theyād characterize it not as an act of fear but one of āprotection.ā
This is directed to people like my family. I used to be a Catholic, and my family still is. I havenāt told them that Iām an atheist, because I donāt want them to freak out and constantly pester me to āreturn to the churchā. The Popeās open letter makes it possible for me to finally be honest with my family.
I left the church because I think it is deeply immoral. The decades of enabling child rape by priests, the perpetuation of poverty by denying women the right to limit how many children they have, and the previous Popeās anti-condom stance, enabling the spread of AIDS in Africa, are all against my conscience. I cannot be a member of a church that does these things.
Iām not sure youāre not reading more into it than is really there - after all, Francis still claims you have to āgo to God with a sincere and contrite heart.ā How do you do that if you donāt believe in God? It rather sounds like an assurance to believers of other doctrines.
Never the less, I strongly appreciate the the effort to smooth the edges of the traditional Christian approach āWe are the only ones who have the keys, suck it you much older and more sophisticated spiritual traditions.ā
This seems to me to be an attempt by organized religion to remain relevant, in a culture that increasingly has abandoned organized religion.
Although I am an atheist, I do believe in an afterlife, I call it ābeing deadā.
A good example, yes. I still find desire to exert control over another individual (in the name of a ārighteousā cause, no less) is as incompatible with a well developed, functioning conscience as fear, though I donāt expect many to agree.
Since heās referring to the afterlife, contrition is presumed to naturally arise from being presented, post-mortem, with irrefutable proof 
The Church has a giant problem with sex, in general. And since gay people only have (and can ~only have) sex āfor funā without the thin excuse of marital reproduction, they feel they have to fight the social acceptance of gay relationships tooth and nail, because to them that is another step in the direction of unbridled hedonism.
This is not a particularly new doctrine, actually. Look up āinvincible error.ā
My favorite retort to this line of reasoning would be to call them blasphemers, since they in effect tarnish and diminish God by presenting him* as an entity to feared, instead of loved, and idolators, since this implies a concrete and very human image of God as a ruler - in violation of the commandment not to create specific images of him (and contrary to what Aquinas concluded about apophatism). But what can you do. Thatās just the way Christians roll.
*I really donāt think God has a penis or testicles, but for want of a better pronounā¦
chuckles
So, if you are an atheist, this isnāt going to matter anyway.
But, if you are a Christian, your belief no longer matters as a prerequisite for entry to Heaven.
Godās mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart.
Thatās not much of a loophole, given human nature being what it is.
Keep in mind that it would probably be an article of faith with the Pope that the conscience comes from God whether you believe in him or not, so the proposition of a conscience that truly directs you astray is moot.
But perhaps you might find that opening up after the new Popeās āatheist Glasnostā will provoke the same reaction as before: pestering. Might be best to still keep it under your hat.
Honestly, Iām fine with annihilation, if itās all the same with the pope and his god.
