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Pope Should Excommunicate Holocaust-Denying Bishop Williamson

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When recently questioned about his controversial views disputing the numbers of Jews gassed in the concentration camps, the bishop is reported to have grandiosely said that "It is about historical evidence, not about emotions...and if I find this evidence, I will correct myself. But that will take time." I find it ironic and hypocritical that the Bishop so casually challenges the longstanding, overwhelming (even if imperfect) evidence supporting the huge number of Jews killed in the concentration camps, while blindly accepting where not a shred of evidence exists, to the divinity of Jesus Christ or the existence of God.

Tom of NY 10:01AM February 09, 2009

NonCatholics often misunderstand excommunication. It involves the sacramental life of the Church, not political correctness. For clarity, it seems Bp. Williamson is not a Holocaust denier - he evidently beleives 2-300,000 Jews were executed in Hitler's concentration camps, not 6m, and not by gas, but by some other means. That may be wide of the mark, but it is not denying hundreds of thousands of Jews were executed by the Nazis. Since no one I have ever met would think "Oh, it's okay to murder 300,000 people but not 6 m." So all the furor is at least a little exaggerated. Williamson may be a poor historian, but he clearly has not denied the essence of the Holocaust.
Likewise, the Catholic Church does not excommunicate people for getting their facts wrong on issues not related to the Catholic faith. The exact number of Hitler's victims, and the means he used to kill most of them, are not matters about which the Church is competent to judge, nor excommunicate for.

Ed Barrington of IL 7:00PM February 08, 2009

Under that line of thinking the only thing sacred is the holocaust. How about Christianity? It's perfectly acceptable to deny Christianity and ridicule it in newspaper and television, making it a marginal joke. But the holocaust, no way! This is ridiculous. What's more sacred than Christianity? Moreover, the holocaust has nothing to do with running the church, nor is it an ex communicable offense. The media has no say over how the church is run, who do you think you are? And who does Angela Merkel think she is to give orders to the Pope?

Oscar 2:31PM February 08, 2009

Williamson doesn't deny the holocaust.....he takes issue with the widely held belief that millions could have been killed in gas chambers which were not an effective way to exterminate large numbers of people. Don't report on what you don't understand. Anyway Bishops should stick to church teaching!

MK of NY 1:45PM February 08, 2009

The Israeli's in gaza were attacked by rockets launched over the border from gaza. These rockets were indiscriminately aimed at schools hospitals and any and all civilian targets. The response from the israeli army was to go in and take out hamas terrorists. These Muslim's were unfortunately doing what Arab's do fighting out of civilian homes with woman and children as human shields. As for Israel using white phosphorus as a weapon so would it be any better if people were blown up by a smart bomb or fragmentation grenade. As for war crimes first israel has clean hands compared to the Muslims Arab's of hamas who use human shields wear no uniforms and blend in to the civilian population's of gaza. Not to mention hamas use of rockets to attack civilian targets which is a war crime. Oh yea and the little matter of using homicide bombers to kill babies and women eating a a pizzeria. But my christian friend you want Jew's to apologize for their crimes. Nope you can go to gaza and get fried by white phosphorus for all this Jew cares. As for this nazi pope and his holocaust denying lackey let them keep it up Europe is falling to the Muslim's and soon the papists will dissolve into the cesspool of history.

fred bannerzissleson of MD 11:54AM February 08, 2009

The Israeli's in gaza were attacked by rockets launched over the border from gaza. These rockets were indiscriminately aimed at schools hospitals and any and all civilian targets. The response from the israeli army was to go in and take out hamas terrorists. These Muslim's were unfortunately doing what Arab's do fighting out of civilian homes with woman and children as human shields. As for Israel using white phosphorus as a weapon so would it be any better if people were blown up by a smart bomb or fragmentation grenade. As for war crimes first israel has clean hands compared to the Muslims Arab's of hamas who use human shields wear no uniforms and blend in to the civilian population's of gaza. Not to mention hamas use of rockets to attack civilian targets which is a war crime. Oh yea and the little matter of using homicide bombers to kill babies and women eating a a pizzeria. But my christian friend you want Jew's to apologize for their crimes. Nope you can go to gaza and get fried by white phosphorus for all this Jew cares. As for this nazi pope and his holocaust denying lackey let them keep it up Europe is falling to the Muslim's and soon the papists will dissolve into the cesspool of history.

sp72 of NY 11:48AM February 08, 2009

More and more I am confused and disgraced by the words and actions of so called "Christians". The reason the Pope and other christian leaders should be held to such high standard is because of their enormous influence over millions of people. For this reason, their hypocritical words and actions are completely unacceptable. I am a Catholic and am totatlly disgusted by the slap on the wrist the Catholic church has been giving to those who are living examples of racism, sexual exploitation, and discrimination. Christianity is being tainted at the hands of the self-righteous. Exactly what Jesus constantly preached against.

Elizabeth of NE 11:31AM February 08, 2009

I think it's really time to bury the hatchet on this one. Why is it that many other aspects of history can be questioned, but if any disagrees with any aspect of the Holocaust there is such an outrage? I am not a Holocaust denier, but I do know that Jews were not the only ones who were killed. There were also many Catholics and Protestants as well. It's strange that that is never mentioned.
The Society of Saint Pius X has made it clear that these are not their views and that they only deal with matters concerning the Catholic Faith. The Pope has every right to try bring the Church together by relieving them of excommunication. It has nothing to do with historical opinions.

cherrobi of KY 7:21PM February 07, 2009

Mr Williamson ( I refuse to refer to him as "Bishop", as his ordination
was illicit) should be extradited to Germany and put on trial for the
crime of Holocaust denial, which it is officially in that country.
He is neither a Catholic nor a Christian. The Pope needs to
spend the rest of his days in a monastery praying for forgiveness for his grave error,
which was the lifting of ex-communication of Williamson, and 3 other
lunatic-fringe, so-called bishops. I am a life-long Catholic, an am utterly
ashamed and incredulous that the Holy Father has decided to reward these
"nut-cases" for bad behavior, which included the rejection of the
Second Vatican Council, and the sin AND crime of anti-semitism.
Also, someone was surely asleep at the switch of the Vatican "spin-machine"
aka, Communications Office and the Curia, as the must have known about
Williamson's creepy past; In the unlikely event the Williamson decides to
recant his combined sin and crime of Holocaust denial, it should take place
in multiple venues, including Auschwitz and in Israel. Also, has he never
heard of Edith Stein(Saint Teresa, Blessed of the Cross), the German-born Carmelite nun, Philosophy Professor,
born Jewish, and became a Catholic, only to be deported from a Dutch
monastery with her sister Rosa to Auscwitz, where along with countless
others, Jews, gypsies, gays, Christians, atheists, Communists, the list goes on...
To quote WW II era German Pastor Niemoller, "When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out" Of course, creeps like Williamson &
Mel Gibson's Holocaust denying father (also a so-called traditionalist Catholic)
have probably never made the effort to meet a Holocaust survivor.
They probably also deny that more recent genocides have taken
place, ie Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur. because they are so
hateful, racist and IGNORANT ! Williamson and his ilk are way beyond
forgiveness and are doomed to Dante's lowest circle of the Inferno
for all eternity!

Niles of CA 5:51PM February 07, 2009

I can only quote what Israel Shamir wrote in his brilliant article, ‘The Marxists and The Lobby” (in The ‘Masters of Discourse’):
“Acceptance of Christ if the Final Solution to the Jewish Question”. And THIS is what the whole ‘holocaust denial’ fracas over Bishop Williamson's interview is all about - the Jewish fear that Christians wake up and once again follow the scriptures and go out and convert rather than ‘share meaningful metaphysical hunches' in suicidal ecumenic dialogue. The only thing the Catholic Church got from ecumenic dialogue with the Jews has been an endless stream of false accusations for which the church has had to continually apologise. Indeed, and to quote Shamir again, “The late Pope opened the gates of Hell when he travelled the around the world and asked for forgiveness for deeds he did not do, from the Sack of Constantinople to starvation in Dachau.”
How about if the Jews asked for forgiveness for Yehida, Khisas, Qazaza, Al-Sheikh village, Deir Yassin, Naser al-Din, Beit Daras, Dahmash mosque, Dawayma, Sharafat, Kibya, Kafr Qasem, Al-Sammou', Sabra and Shatila, Oyon Qara, Al-Aqsa mosque, Ibrahimi mosque, Jabalia Eretz checkpoint, and, oh yes, before I forget, the dancing Israelis who'd set up their cameras before the planes crashed into the twin towers, and ‘lest we forget, to use a well-loved phrase the recent Gaza pigeon shoot in which over 1,300 Palestinians were ‘taught a lesson’?
Shamir goes on, “Jews are not so silly as to recognise THEIR guilt and apologise”.

John Wrinkler 3:28PM February 07, 2009