THERE’S BEEN understandable bafflement at the Pope’s reported declaration that Hell does not exist. It has, however, led to interested (sic) discussion of what we mean by Hell, though little of it quite so lapidary as the catechism’s definition of “a place or state of punishment”, which pretty well sums it up. I can’t understand those Christians who are embarrassed by the concept of Hell. It was one thing about which Christ was quite explicit, just as he was quite explicit about the devil and judgment and indeed about divorce. If theologians find Christ embarrassing, the problem, I’m afraid, is theirs.