If God loves everyone unconditionally, and he wants all to be saved, and we cannot save ourselves, nor earn salvation by works, what exactly is needed to be saved? It cannot be just belief, even Judas, Esau, and demons believed in God. 

Sin creates a barrier between humanity and God. 

Sin is fundamentally seen as a turning away from God, a rejection of His will, and a choice to pursue one's own desires over divine guidance. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that sin is a "contempt for God" and leads to a disordered attachment to created things, which ultimately results in a lack of true peace and fulfillment. 

The human heart inherently longs for God, as it is created for communion with Him. This desire is often described as a yearning for ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty, which can only be fully realized in God. 

The desire to be with God while wanting to remain in sin illustrates a duality in human nature. On one hand, there is a longing for divine connection and the peace that comes from being in a right relationship with God. On the other hand, there is an attraction to sin, which may provide temporary satisfaction or pleasure but ultimately leads to spiritual emptiness. 

True conversion involves recognizing this conflict and making a conscious decision to turn away from sin. The Catechism notes that conversion entails sorrow for sins and a firm purpose of sinning no more, nourished by hope in God's mercy. This process is often fraught with difficulty, as individuals may struggle to detach from sinful habits and attachments.

Desiring to be with God while wanting to remain in sin encapsulates the human condition marked by a struggle between the call to holiness and the allure of sin. This conflict invites individuals to engage in a process of conversion, relying on God's mercy and grace to transform their hearts and align their desires with His will. Ultimately, the path to true fulfillment lies in surrendering to God's love and rejecting the false promises of sin.

While God continues to love individuals in their sinful state, He cannot be in communion with sin. Therefore, transformation is necessary for individuals to fully experience God's love and to be in a relationship with Him. This transformation involves repentance, conversion, and a commitment to living according to God's commandments. 

God respects human freedom, allowing individuals to choose their paths, even if those choices lead to their own destruction. 

The love of God is always present, but individuals must actively choose to accept that love and seek transformation. While God desires all to be saved and offers His mercy, individuals must respond to that offer. God's mercy is always available, but it requires a humble and contrite heart that seeks to turn back to Him in reconciliation. 

Repentance:

Repentance is being sorry that you offended God, willingness to turn back to him, align yourself with his will, and to amend your life to follow the Commandments. 

Some choices reflect a failure to fully embrace the grace available to them and to seek genuine reconciliation with God. 

Regret:

This suggests that while he may have felt regret for his actions, he did not demonstrate a true turning back to God or a willingness to amend his life in a way that aligned with God's will. His actions reflected a lack of understanding of the gravity of his choices and a failure to seek reconciliation with God.

In summary, while God loves Judas and Esau in their sinful states and they both experienced remorse, their responses did not constitute true repentance that leads to salvation. Judas succumbed to despair, rejecting the mercy available to him, while Esau's regret did not translate into a genuine turning back to God, they both did not fully embrace God’s grace.