Vatican rejects bishop's apology for 'harm and hurt' of Holocaust denial

[struggle4progress]

Source: Guardian

Richard Williamson fails to recant views in 'unequivocal' way demanded by Catholic church
John Hooper in Rome and agencies
guardian.co.uk
Friday 27 February 2009 16.28 GMT

The Vatican has rejected an apology by a British bishop who questioned the truth of the Holocaust, saying that his statement was not good enough to let him to serve as a clergyman in the Catholic church.

Bishop Richard Williamson, whose readmission to the church caused international outcry, apologised last night for remarks in which he denied the scale of the Nazis' genocidal campaign against the Jews.

In a statement on the website of the Rome Catholic news agency Zenit, he said his views on the Holocaust were not those of an historian. They had been "formed 20 years ago on the basis of evidence then available, and rarely expressed in public since." Williamson added: "To all souls that took honest scandal from what I said, before God I apologise."

The chief Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said today that Williamson's statement "does not seem to respect the conditions" for his readmission to the church. Earlier this month, the Vatican said Williamson would only be allowed to serve as a clergyman if he recanted his views "in an absolutely unequivocal and public way" ...

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/27/catholicism-holocaust

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Holocaust-denying bishop's apology sparks fresh outrage
4 hours ago

VATICAN CITY (AFP) — ... Outraged religious groups said Williamson had not retracted claims that no Jews perished in the gas chambers ...

"By clearly refusing to retract his malicious lies, Williamson has again made clear that he is convinced anti-Semite and diehard Holocaust-denier, who calls into question the genocide of six million Jewish people," said Charlotte Knobloch, the president of Germany's Central Council of Jews.

"This is a rude, malicious and barbaric insult to all Holocaust victims and their descendants," said Dieter Graumann, vice-president of the Central Council for Jews in Germany.

German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries meanwhile refused to rule out a possible arrest. "Germany could act within the framework of a European arrest warrant," she said ...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iTDx77U3XSE0KjK84y4y7-VOJPmA



Germany may issue warrant for Holocaust bishop
The Associated Press
Published: February 27, 2009

... German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries, speaking in the sidelines of EU justice ministers' talks in Brussels, said officials in her country were considering issuing an EU-wide warrant because the ultraconservative clergyman Richard Williamson denied the Holocaust during a Swedish television interview that was recorded in Germany. He lives in Britain ...

A new set of EU guidelines to toughen up national anti-racism and hate crime laws was passed in 2007.

Those new guidelines will commit all 27 EU countries to impose criminal sanctions against people or groups that publicly incite violence or hatred against other groups or persons based on race, color, religion, descent or ethnic origin.

The guidelines also recommend EU nations impose prison sentences of up to three years for those convicted of denying genocide, such as the mass killing of Jews during World War II and the 1990s massacre in Rwanda. That rule would apply only to genocides that have officially been recognized under statutes of the International Criminal Court ...

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/27/europe/EU-EU-Holocaust-Denial.php

[acmavm]

1. There is not better documented horror than the Holocaust. Fools

who 'deny' its occurence have to be liars. They really can't believe it.

And hell, its not just about Jews. It's about Slavs, Roms & gypsies, Moslems, anyone not considered 'pure' according to Nazi 'standards'.

[ReliantJ]

10. If you enjoyed music by Phil Collins

They'd kill ya

[acmavm]

19. ?

[Ezana]

2. Has the Vatican forgot Jesus's words: those who repent will be forgiven !

So the Vatican want to punish the priest instead of giving him mercy, just beacuse there is political pressure !

[jwirr]

4. Forgiveness does not negate the consequences. He would not make a

good priest to people who no longer trust him.

[Karenina]

5. Erraaa... he has in NO WAY "repented".

He just issued what he thought was a slick statement. EPIC FAIL.

[Ezana]

18. How do you know that he has not repented ? Are you God ?

He is not going to repent publicly.

[DonCoquixote]

22. If he does not repent in public

He does not deserve a PUBLIC office of authority, period.

[geek tragedy]

6. He hasn't repeneted, just the standard "I'm sorry you were offended

by my righteous opinion" crap.

Screw this guy.

[struggle4progress]

7. That's a strange interpretation: whatever the Vatican may think of his culpability

in offending those who suffered from the mass murders of the WWII, the Vatican might take the view that his current attitudes do not make him fit to be a priest

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Where's the real repentance in that non-apology apology

Saying, "sorry if you felt bad about what I said" isn't exactly a heartfelt, sincere apology. It's closer to "sorry if you took that the wrong way".

[Posteritatis]

14. The Vatican is denying that the priest repented, and they're right to do so (nt)

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. Judas repented. But you miss the point. He said that he wished to apologise "to those

that took scandal from what I said" - not that he had been unequivocally mistaken in his opinion on the matter.

Moreover, the clear implication of the words, "caused honest scandal", is that he considered there would be critics of his statement, who did not really believe the universally-recognised cale of the Holocaust any more than he did, but merely pretended to. Again, it is the effect of his statement that he tries to make the issue, not its falsity. No definitive, unequivocal repudiation of his view.

As a matter of fact, in a sense, an apology was tangential, the essential issue being the falsity of his assertion. Of course, in the larger context of Christian mores, it would sit ill with anyone, let alone a churchman (or self-styled churchman, as is the case, here), to fail to apologise for such a - not just false, but actually grotesque - declaration. Had it been hundreds of thousands of murdered Jews, instead of millions, would the enormity of the crime have been essentially lessened? What was he trying to say? One can only assume that his imputation was that it was a kind of "storm in a teacup."

[CatholicEdHead]

3. So, is he off to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Germany?

I assume his home country the UK does, so he may have jail time coming in Germany.

[Ms. Toad]

20. That piece of the OP really disturbs me.

From what I've seen they guy should not be serving as a priest - but being jailed for holding or expressing beliefs or opinions that differ from the official government line I find pretty scary. (Whether I agree with his insane belief or not, I do think expressing it should not be a crime.)

[mmonk]

8. What a dumb cluck. I guess he blew his chance at redemption.

[nomorenomore08]

9. I guess Benedict and Co. got it right for once, but this does seem a bit like the pot

calling out the kettle. Not just because of the Church's inaction during WWII, but considering Benny's own history as well. Not to mention his continued antipathy toward other "minority" groups (gays, Muslims, etc.).

[struggle4progress]

11. Y'know, the current Pope was five when the Nazis took over Germany. He was twelve

when WWII began. The war ended about two weeks after he turned eighteen. As far as I know, he bears absolutely no responsibility for any of the horrid events of that time. You are, of course, free to like him or not, but the kind of slander you attempt (a bit like the pot calling out the kettle ... considering Benny's own history) is just bullshit

[IndianaGreen]

15. He did fire antiaircraft gun against Allied planes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x428988

[struggle4progress]

17. He was apparently assigned, at age 16, to an anti-aircraft auxiliary that seems never to have seen

combat

[IndianaGreen]

13. The German Pope also made peace with anti-Semitic Pope Pius X Society

This group of jerks accused Jews of being Christ killers!

Society of Saint Pius X Distances Itself from Holocaust Denial

The ultra-conservative Catholic group SSPX is finally beginning to clean house. On Monday, the Holocaust-denying Bishop Williamson reportedly lost his job as leader of a seminary in Argentina. And the group's Web site no longer argues that the Jews are guilty of deicide.

It has been almost three weeks since Bishop Richard Williamson's controversial, Holocaust-denying interview was broadcast on Swedish television. Only now, though, is the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), to which Williamson belongs, taking steps to dampen the furore his comments created. On Monday, according to a report from the Argentinean news agency Diarios y Noticias, Williamson was removed from his position as head of a seminary not far from Buenos Aires.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,606422,00.html

[barb162]

16. The Vatican is taking the correct position. Good for them. n/t