When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the head of the Roman Catholicism in 2005, the best-selling daily Bild caught the national mood with a frontpage headline crowing Wir sind Papst! (We’re Pope!). Now, Germans are falling out of love with their pope for readmitting to the Church an excommunicated bishop who denies the Holocaust. For the vast majority of Germans, denying the Holocaust is beyond the pale. Shunning anyone who does deny the Holocaust is considered a civic virtue. So seeing the world’s most prominent German rehabilitate a Holocaust denier is quite distressing for a upstanding, post-war German democrat. How could he do it?
(Photo: Pope Benedict at the Vatican, 2 Feb 2009/Alessandro Bianchi)
The Vatican and Catholic bishops around the world have been defending the pope, saying the lifting of the excommunications for the controversial Bishop Richard Williamson and three other bishops was an internal Church issue unrelated to his political views. They say repeatedly that this is not a rehabilitation, but simply a readmission to allow discussions on rehabilitation to start. After botching the initial announcement, the Vatican has had a tough time trying to convince public opinion in other countries. In Germany, where many understandably think Holocaust deniers deserve no sympathy whatsoever, this task is proving to be doubly difficult.
From Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Foreign Minister to leading Catholic thinkers, Jewish groups and editorial writers in top-selling newspapers — they’re all criticising the pope’s controversial decision to welcome Williamson back. Here is our news story from Berlin wrapping up the reaction. In Rome, another German, Cardinal Walter Kasper, bluntly told Vatican Radio: “There wasn’t enough talking with each other in the Vatican and there are no longer checks to see where problems could arise.”
(Photo: Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Angela Merkel, 21 Oct 2008/Tobias Schwarz)
While Kasper takes a jab at Ratzinger now and then, it’s rare to see such a wide variety of opinion lining up in Rome and in other countries against a pontiff. It is almost unthinkable that a head of government should break with protocol and openly criticise a pope. But when a German pope ignores one of the deepest German taboos, getting a reaction like this is — as they say here in Germany — “as certain as hearing ‘Amen’ in church.”
There have been so many comments that we couldn’t fit them all into our news stories. Here are some of the comments from Germany:
- Merkel says says it’s all about “the pope and the Vatican making very clear that there can be no (Holocaust) denial and that there must be positive relations with Judaism.”
- Genscher writes: “Poles can be proud of Pope John Paul II. At the last papal election, we said “We are the pope!” But please — not like this.”
- Politicians from the Greens, the Left, the Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and even the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) criticise the pope’s decision. The CDU/CSU expert on church affairs, Ingrid Fischbach, said she was appalled and added: “This has disappointed me, a believing Catholic, very personally.”
German newspapers have also joined in, including the top-selling popular daily Bild, whose editorial entitled “Infallible?” said “It is morally the last straw, the most despicable thing possible, when one relativises the racist murdering of and deadly envious fury against the Jews… The pope must correct his mistake, take back the decision and apologise.”- The respected theologian Hans Maier said the handling of the affair was “an unforgivable failure, a political blunder … Why didn’t they get a broad consensus on these issues in advance? Such an important and decisive question must be discussed in a broader group of people.”
Papal biographer Peter Seewald, author of two long interview book with Ratzinger entitled Salt of the Earth and God and the World, said the pope was badly advised: “This shows clearly that they’re not very professional behind the walls of the Vatican. There’s even some naïvité. This crisis could easily have been avoided with more precision. We have to get used to the idea that Benedict’s papacy will not be calm and quiet.”
The German service of Vatican Radio, which describes itself as “the voice of the pope and the world Church” (see logo below), gave in today’s news summary another explanation of the pope’s view by Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi and a postive comment by Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone (“For me, the issue is over”). It followed that by 10 — count ‘em, 10 – critical comments from top German clergy condemning Williamson’s Holocaust denial and demanding full support for the Second Vatican Council and no concessions to the ultra-traditionalists. The radio quoted Mainz Cardinal Karl Lehmann, Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Munich Archbishop Reinhard Marx, Bamberg Archbishop Ludwig Schick, Hamburg 
Auxiliary Bishop Hans-Jochen Jaschke, Münster Bishop Felix Genn, Magdeburg Bischof Gerhard Feige, Limburg Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Osnabrück Bishop Franz-Josef Bode and Paderborn Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker. They naturally don’t attack Benedict openly, but it’s hard to remember when the pope’s own radio station carried this many verbal nudges and winks and stage whispers from fellow Church leaders aimed in his direction.
What next? What should Benedict do when even his “home team” tells him he’s gone way out of bounds?
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He’s the first englishman that I can truely say is honest, the rest sold their souls to satan years ago. I have respect for people who speak the truth!
- Posted by ZigmundI’m going to be very blunt right off the bat. In regards to the recent numerous
attacks on Pope Benedict and the lifting of the excommunications of the SSPX
the critical priests, bishops, cardinals who are pledged in obedience to the pope
quite frankly need to shut up.
What a bunch of self righteous tradition hating intolerant bigots. Talk
about showing one’s true colors. Way to be true to the Gospels and
imitators of Christ by reaching out and welcoming back a million plus Catholic
souls who have been isolated from the Church for over twenty years. Great
pastoral work there boys! To be frank you critics of the Pope are as just
as light headed as the rest of these media junkies who couldn’t get a
Catholic thing right if the Pope himself educated them. If you think one
stupid bishop’s comments in an interview done last fall changes the stance of
the Church’s teaching and the efforts that Pope Benedict has made through
his entire life to work against anti-Semitism then your just as blind as the
rest of them.
We’re really getting sick and tired of half ass Catholics who are more so in
name than in deed attacking the Church and the person God Himself has
appointed as the Vicar of Christ (in case you forgot your theology in your
bureaucratic politics).
Hardly one of you has done a blasted thing to
condemn the sex scandals and hold your fellow bishops or priests
accountable.
Hardly any of you has followed the documents of the Council in
regards to the liturgy and ecumenism. As far as many of us obedient and
orthodox ‘novus ordo’ Catholics are concerned you’re just as disobedient and
on the verge of schism as the SSPX.
We have traveled to at least 15 western countries world wide since the
release of Redemptionis Sacramentum and have hardly seen any implementation
of the document who your so called ‘beloved John Paul the Great’ mandated to
be implemented immediately.
Half of you have been a bunch of cowards in
following the teachings of the Church in regards to abortion, politicians
and the reception of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.
We haven’t seen any unified public condemnation for the widespread dissent in your
seminaries and convents.
The disregard for adherence to the teachings of
Humanae Vitae and holding your priests accountable are completely out of
line with your ‘vocation descriptions’.
Your lack of excommunications or corrections for Catholics who out rightly defy
or deny almost every sexual teaching that the Church holds including the open
declaration of many of your priests to support same sex unions and participation
in gay events is frankly disgusting.
Many of you continue to do nothing in correcting and dealing with the many
priests, nuns, and laity who openly defy and disobey the teachings of
celibacy and woman’s ordinations.
The European bishops have done a great job at keeping up the Churches as
museums but in Church attendance they have failed miserably.
The lack of excommunications for ‘Catholics who have endorsed or enabled the
availability of same sex unions
The Canadian Bishops have yet to rebuke the 200 plus religious orders who in 2007
generated a report full of dissent in teaching, discipline, sexuality, celibacy, homosexuality,
divorce, and female ordination.
The Canadian Conference of Bishops still refuse to allow the Vatican to investigate
whether the Winnipeg Statement contains schismatic claims.
And you bishops world wide continue to question the authority of the pope and the huge
dilemma he has to fix because of your failings. Look to yourselves before you criticize and
condemn others.
Wake up priests and bishops and do your jobs. The pope is doing an
excellent job of getting the Catholic Church back on its feet and unifying
all Christians back into the fold. And you stand there like a bunch of
hypocrites criticizing your leader. Maybe if you started following His
example in teaching, example especially in regards to Ecumenism and Liturgy
you would see a change in the world in which you have allowed to become so
corrupt with sin. And if you had been as obedient and tolerable as you
claim to be then you would have never allowed this situation to get to where
its at. Stop pointing fingers at the Pope and start pointing them to God in
prayer. Your lack of charity with both the Pope and the millions of
Catholics who adhere to the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church is no
longer tolerable. Either wake up and deal with the crisis of faith that you
have allowed to occur for the past 40 years or as John Paul told the liberal
regimists in South America “Silencio” .
Just look at the simple comments from the Pope on the Media recently released
asking us to use the media to proclaim the Gospel and instead you use it to create
friction, division and attack your leader. This goes just as well for the Bishop Williams
fellow as well. Great example from our leaders and teachers of the faith!
To be a member of the Catholic Church means you adhere to the teachings and
the Magisterium, Not attack it! If you’re not with the Church then you are
against the Church. It’s that simple. Not our words Jesus’. These internal
attacks on the orthodoxy of the faith and the papacy need to end now! This
nonsense has been going on for 40 plus years and quite frankly its sinful.
The Catholic Church is not an organization running a Public Relations
campaign. The Catholic Faith is not an opinion it is a way of life.
The faith is not a Catholic buffet either you accept it in fullness or get out.
Why do you distract those who have chosen the Church as their way of life with your
spiritual garbage. Why are you in the Church if you are not here to build it up.
Why are you still here if you hate orthodoxy and the Church’s teachings.
The Catholic Church is the One True Church of Jesus Christ in which is concerned
- Posted by V2Conly with the salvation of all mankind. If that is not your mission within
the Church to cooperate with God’s mission and save souls including the
million plus members of the SSPX then as Vatican II says ‘You are neither of
use to yourself or to the Church’. If you attack the Papacy you are
attacking the Church. If you are attacking the Church you are attacking
Jesus Himself. It’s really time for the Church’s members to stop attacking
the Church and start building it up. Your are the body of Christ. You are
the salt of the earth. You are commanded to save souls. You are told to
preach the gospel. “I give you a new commandment love one another as I have
loved you”
[...] then he moves to rehabilitate a bishop who was excommunicated for holocaust denial. How are we supposed to react to that? How the hell are we supposed to react to that? OK, he [...]
- Posted by “Nazi Schmazy” - Pope | The GWIREHow about lifting the excommunications of Galileo Galilei 1564-1642 who was rejected by the Roman Catholic Church and Bp Francis Hodur 1866-1953 of the Polish National Catholic Church of America and Poland who was vindicated by Vatican II as a progressive Catholic Bishop . . . . .
- Posted by Walter H LasinskiAll I am going to say is that my “Papabili List for 2009,” that got some ‘flack’ from some quarters for having three non-European cardinals in the top four, is looking more and more promising. <>
- Posted by Anura GurugeGrace, and may peace be with you all.
Over the last 60-odd years the Germans have been so brain-washed as to their culpability during WWII that it is impossible to conduct an intelligent discussion with any of them regarding the holocaust.
This brainwashing was necessary for the victorious allies to hide the fact that the allied actions were so truly barbaric that they had to convince the Germans and the people at home that the Germans had been worse when in fact the Germans were pussycats compared to the Allies.
The examination of 6 simple facts should be sufficient to cause great concern, and raise numerous questions, for any thinking person:
1) At the height of the holocaust survivor’s claims the German government is on record as having paid compensation to 5.6 million or so claimants.
2) In 2002 the Israeli government is on record as stating that over 1 million survivors were still alive.
3) In 2005 or so the German government is on record as stating that they were still paying reparations to 1.6 million survivors.
4) Anyone questioning any facet of the holocaust in Europe gets jailed; this very fact alone should be sufficient for the thinking person to seriously question “the public knowledge” of the holocaust.
5) The final report of the International Red Cross stated in 1972 or thereabouts that the total number of deaths due to all causes, but mainly due to diseases such as typhoid, was about 372000.
6) Forensic examination of the bodies, by British and American pathologists, determined that the people had died from starvation and disease; this due to the complete lack of any transportation since the allies bombed everything that moved.
Author Finkelstein in one of his books states “with all these survivors, who are the Germans supposed to have killed?”
Life insurance actuarialists are very good at calculating the number of people alive based on the figures given above, even though these are inconsistent.
Examination of documentary, forensic, and scientific evidence further points out the absolute lie of all holocaust claims. Ask yourself this: If the evidence in support of the holocaust is so compelling why forbid questioning and debate thereof?
WHAT HAVE THE HOLOCAUSTIANS TO HIDE TO PREVENT ANY DEBATE? WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF? Truth stands on its own, only lies require draconian measures for suppression.
“Name calling is the final refuge of the out-argued holocaust profiteer”.
H.F. Wolff
- Posted by H.F. Wolff