Vatican rejects Holocaust-denying bishop's apology

Reuters ^ | February 27, 2009 | Philip Pullella

[NYer]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Friday rejected an apology from a bishop whose denial of the Holocaust caused international uproar between Jews and Catholics, saying it did not meet its demand for a full and public recanting.

Jewish groups praised the Vatican for its tough stand, which Vatican sources said will likely make it harder for the traditionalist bishop to be fully re-admitted into the Church and lead to greater scrutiny of the society to which he belongs.

British Bishop Richard Williamson, who was ordered to leave Argentina and is now in his homeland, on Thursday issued a statement in which he said, "To all souls that took honest scandal from what I said, before God I apologize."

Chief Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Williamson's statement "does not seem to respect the conditions" set forth by the Vatican on February 4, when it ordered him to "in an absolutely unequivocal and public way distance himself from his positions" regarding the Holocaust.

On January 24, Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of Williamson and three other bishops to try to heal a 20-year-old schism that began when they were thrown out of the Church for being ordained without the permission of Pope John Paul II.

Among those who condemned Williamson and the pope's decision were Holocaust survivors, progressive Catholics, members of the U.S. Congress, Israel's Chief Rabbinate, German Jewish leaders and Jewish writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

Williamson told Swedish television in an interview broadcast on January 21, "I believe there were no gas chambers." He said no more than 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, rather than the 6 million accepted by most historians.

[mnehring]

Good for them. That apology sounded like a typical politician “I apologize for those I offended”.. very political but not really a recantation.

[NYer]

In his statement on Thursday, Williamson said, "I can truthfully say that I regret having made such remarks, and that if I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the Church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich, I would not have made them."

British-born Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Williamson walks towards the boarding area at Buenos Aires airport moments before boarding a plane heading for London February 24, 2009.

[WayneS]

Well that’s not very Christian of them is it?

(IT’S A JOKE FOLKS!!!!) ...but feel free to flmae away anyway, It’ll help prepare me for the hot place.

[Natural Law]

As I predicted a few weeks ago this is spooling out nicely. The rejection of this kook will be accompanied shortly by a refusal of Communion to high profile politicians. This will diffuse any “right wing” characterization of the Church’s actions.

[brooklyn dave]

OK vatican doesn’t accept Williamson’s apology. The next move is for the St. Pius X Society. Will they thrown williamson under the bus? I don’t think so. They can live without the Vatican’s approval...haven’t they for 20 years? They aren’t too interested in ecimenism anyway, so they will tolerate a bishop who has some wacked out ideas on history or politics—his theology is kosher (forgive the term)—and that’s all they care about. It’s the Vatican that doesn’t want the schism. And it’s the Vatican who is concerned about ecumenism and maintaining a good relationship with other faith communities.... not the Lefevbre

[TASMANIANRED]

Don’t we hope so.

[Erik Latranyi]

The rejection of this kook will be accompanied shortly by a refusal of Communion to high profile politicians.

Sorry, but the Catholic Church needs to do a lot more than refuse communion to the cretins that support abortion and infantacide.

It is past time the Catholic Church start excommunicating the Kennedy's, Kerry's and Pelosi's in a very public, very Old Testament way.

Until then, the Catholic Church has lost me and any tithe I might give.

[DesertRhino]

I never understand Nazi apologists.

I never hear it explained how; “They didnt kill 6 million or have gas chambers,,, they only locked up people because they were Jews and 300,000 died from disease and starvation”.

How exactly is that better?

[Campion]

"Refusing communion to" someone and "excommunication" are essentially two was of saying the same thing.

[ArrogantBustard]

Among those who condemned Williamson and the pope's decision were Holocaust survivors, progressive Catholics, members of the U.S. Congress, Israel's Chief Rabbinate, German Jewish leaders and Jewish writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

I have some respect for the Holocaust survivofs ... the rest can bugger off. They have no moral authority to lecture the Church on anything.

[kenth]

Exactly. The rest are just piling on any time they think the Church can be attacked.

[Erik Latranyi]

"Refusing communion to" someone and "excommunication" are essentially two was of saying the same thing.

Before the liberals screwed over the Catholic Church in the Code of Canon Law in the early 80s, there was a distinction.

One form of excommunication meant you could still go to church and do business with other church members, which is all that excommunication means today.

The other form, which needs to be revived, meant that the excommunicated was barred from mass and was to be avoided in all matters by other Catholics.

[sojourner]

Actually, in light of recent events, the SSPX can not live without Vatican approval any longer. They either see this through or they are declared schismatic, which would be the end of them. The pope has done the right thing. His actions have brought them under scrutiny and made them accountable. I hope for this best in this — the reconciliation of the SSPX to Rome.