FEATURED JOBS
Pope Benedict XVI issued a strange apology yesterday in which he admitted to having mishandled the noxious affair regarding the rehabilitation of a Holocaust-denying bishop. (For his full letter: CLICK HERE
He in no way said that he would reconsider putting the ban back on at least that one individual.
Basically, the pontiff acknowledge that what was intended to be a reconciliation to a renegade sect of the Catholic Church – unity being a key focus of his papacy – backfired because it aroused the intense ire of Jews and a number of Catholics who, go figure, were upset that a Holocaust denier who is very public with his views was being welcomed back into the fold.
Now some Catholic friends have urged me to acknowledge and recognize that the rescinding of this excommunication did not mean that Bishop Richard Williamson can now perform Catholic rituals for congregants. Of course, I argue, that doesn’t really matter because he’s doing it anyway. The Church didn’t recognize those moves before January 12, 2009 when Williamson and other leaders of the Society of Pius X were unconditionally welcomed back, so what’s difference now other than Williamson is no longer, to borrow a phrase, glatt treife?
For certain, ever since the flap arose, Vatican spokesmen and the Pope himself have gone out of their way to criticize Holocaust deniers. Still, it’s not as if Williamson and his fans either had their welcome made conditional or were asked to give up their views.
But here’s the really amazing thing – the one that shows me that this Pope and his office are way out of touch. The Pope wrote in his letter “I hear that closely following the news available on the Internet would have made it possible to obtain knowledge of the problem in time. I learn from this that we at the Holy See have to pay more careful attention to this news source in the future.”
OK, so I’m glad the Pope now knows that the Internet is for more than finding good local movie reviews. I probably shouldn’t comment any more on this sad footnote to an already very sad affair.
A final point: Jewish groups have rushed to praise the Pope’s statement and basically say, “It’s behind us now.” It’s not. This touched the rawest of chords and Jewish outrage – and that of their Catholic friends – must continue to be heard until the Pope stands up and specifically says, “Bishop Williamsons’s views on the Holocaust are not welcome in the Church and neither is he until he sees the error of his ways and apologizes.”
That’s exactly what Jews have done to many in our own sordid past, including the late racist Rabbi Meir Kahane.
And a final, final point that exhibits how much has changed in such short time: Can anyone imagine this having happened on Pope John Paul II’s watch?
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