Vatican confirms Pope Francis has not "abolished sin" It's official: the Vatican says the Pope has not "abolished sin." It was forced into issuing a denial after well-known Italian intellectual and atheist, Eugenio Scalfari, published an article entitled "Francis" Revolution: He has abolished sin." The treatise-like piece followed a long, private conversation Scalfari and the Pope engaged in earlier in 2013, which he has since written about several times. In the latest article, Scalfari concluded that Francis believed sin effectively exists no longer because God's forgiveness and mercy are "eternal." In a statement on Vatican Radio, Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, refuted "this affirmation that the pope has abolished sin," saying: "Those who really follow the Pope daily know how many times he has spoken about sin and our (human) condition as sinners." The Vatican recently removed the transcribed text of Scalfari's discussion with Pope Francis from its website, claiming parts of it were not reliable. Scalfari, who founded the left-leaning La Repubblica newspaper in 1976, had not used a tape recorder or taken notes during the conversation. He said he had reconstructed the session from memory, making additions to help the article flow.