What's the Deal With The Pope?

On google blogs, under "atheist," only eight of the first forty posts were NOT dealing with the Pope saying something about atheists.

Eight out of forty!

All the other bloggers seemed to be salivating over whatever it was that Pope Frank said. And what he seemed to say (the Roman Catholic Church preaching works righteousness and all) is that if atheists are good, they can go to heaven. 

Heaven! Something atheists say they don't believe in but seem thrilled to be granted entrance.

What's up with that? 

Are atheists as obsessed with being "saved" as they are with Creator God? 

Seems so. 

Wow! Four days later and still the belief that Pope Frank said atheists just need to be good people in order to go to heaven is by far and away the main topic on atheist blogs. What does this mean?