There is nothing new or surprising in what the Pope said.
Maybe the Pope is returning to other or earlier Christian traditions. There is the idea that Jesus redeemed the world, and not just Christians who accept him as their personal Lord and Savior. There is the idea that Jesus descended into and conquered Hell and redeemed even the demons. There is the concept of universalism, of complete human redemption.
These are similar to the concepts of what happened when the Buddha achieved enlightenment.
Unfortunately, Father Virgil Cordano is no longer with us, but he, and many others so adept, could help to explain this.