Attacks on Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust denier escalated on Monday, with one theologian calling on him to step down as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Criticism following the pope’s January 24 announcement has been particularly cutting in Germany, where denying the Holocaust is a crime punishable with a jail sentence.
“If the pope wants to do some good for the church, he should leave his job,” eminent liberal Catholic theologian Hermann Haering told the German daily Tageszeitung.
“That would not be a scandal, a bishop has to relinquish his position at 75 years, a cardinal loses his rights at 80 years,” he said.
Pope Benedict (81) sparked an international uproar when he cancelled the excommunication of four bishops consecrated in 1998 by the rebel conservative French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The decision, especially relating to Richard Williamson, an English bishop who is on record as denying that six million Jews were gassed by the Nazis during World War II, has drawn widespread criticism from Jews and Catholics alike.
“A pardon that tastes of poison,” wrote Franco Garelli, an expert in religious history, in Italy’s daily La Stampa on Monday.
“The trouble caused by this complicated affair is evident not only outside the church but within it,” wrote the academic, who spoke of the “profound discomfort stirred up by the lifting of the excommunication in numerous Catholic circles”.
Back in Germany, high-ranking Catholic officials said the pope risked losing vital support.
(Source: Mail & Guardian)
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11 Responses
I never liked this galuch. Hes no John paul the second
You should: 1)double check your sources; 2) realize the some sources are not necessarily unbiased.
The “Mail and Guardian” is hardly a reliable source for covering European news. Try the major
European papers.
I cannot beleive that YeshivaWorld put a picture up. Have we lost all sensitivity, and are now completely and proudly living in a Goyish world?
Ot do ligt der hunt bagrobn. This “liberal theologian” isn’t in the least interested in yidden; he’s interested in pursuing his own heretical agenda, against the teaching authority of his church. In Jewish terms, he’s an apikores who resents the fact that there is an authority that watches him, and is ready to punish him if he steps too far. He wants Catholicism to be a hefker velt in which anyone can say anything. Except that he’s contradicting himself, because if anyone can say anything, then certainly this Williamson can say anything he likes too.
Yidden, climb down from this tree. This entire story has nothing to do with us. The Pope remains the same ohev yisroel that he was before, but of course he also remains an oved avodah zarah and the Avi Avos Hatum’ah. He has never, to my knowledge, said a word against yidden, or given any indication that he is soft on antisemitism, but he has his own cheshbonos, as he’s entitled to. Right now he wants to make peace within his religion, which means making a tiny gesture to a group of rebels. That one of the rebels is an unpleasant person, he doesn’t have to be reminded; from his point of view they’re all unpleasant people, since they’re all in rebellion against his authority. But nevertheless he wants to make sholom and that in itself is to be praised. By taking them out of cherem he’s certainly not endorsing their views!
What did you expect ?
What should we really expect. The pope, Joseph Ratzinger, is not only on record as a nazi sympathizer, but an actual member of the y’mach sh’mo youth group. Again, what can we expect? I am not sure who she more blood over the time of history, the nazis (y’s) or the catholic church.
tina18:
Please don’t confuse JPII for anything resembling an “ohev Yisrael”. He was far from it.
We should not be disturbed that the descendants of Esau hate us.
No, “veryinteresting”, the current Pope is NOT “on record” as a Nazi sympathiser, and I’m sick and tired of people repeating that SLANDER. There is NOTHING in his record that would support such a statement.
What have you got against the guy? He’s an oved avodah zarah, sure, but so are billions of people. He’s the Avi Avois Hatum’ah, but that’s the position he holds; it doesn’t reflect on the person who happens to hold it. At least he shows EVERY sign of being an ohev yisroel, and NO signs of being an antisemite like this Williamson character. So why do you feel the need to tell lies about him?
#8, Millhouse. Please, do your own research before taking such a vigorous stand. Any search engine where you type in the following key words: Joseph Ratzinger nazi (ys) youth group or movement, will yield much information about how this pope was within the culture of the authentic, not neo, nazi (ys) movement, during his youth. This is not new news.
#8, part 2
Keep in mind that many articles were put out that are revisionist either denying his involvement or stating he had to join or be killed. I mochel you for your accusations of being a liar, deliberate or otherwise.
#8, Part 3.
Here is one article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article382076.ece
At best you can say there are articles that suit all points of view and one can pick what suits their agenda. There are articles saying he WAS a member of the nazi (ys) youth group. Others state he was not. And, still, others state he was in the group but did not want to be in the group.
But to state, in your words, “There is NOTHING in his record that would support such a statement”, is a point of view you should revise.