Pope to Reinstate Bishop Who Denies Holocaust.

studiorat

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article5567829.ece

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent, The Times.

The Pope is preparing to cancel the excommunication of four traditionalist Catholic bishops including one who believes the Holocaust never happened and the gas chambers were a myth.

Pope Benedict XVI has already signed the decree lifting the excommunication of the four bishops of the ultra-conservative Society of St Pius X, according to well-sourced reports in the Italian press today.

One of the bishops, Richard Williamson, an English former Anglican and graduate of Winchester and Cambridge, gave an interview to Swedish TV this week in which he said: “There were no gas chambers.”

I believe there were no gas chambers ... I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps but none of them by gas chambers. There was not one Jew killed by the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies! ”

—Richard Williamson on Sweden's SVT television channe

Galvasean

It's a pity Popes can't be fired for gross incompetence.

robindch

studiorat wrote: »

The Pope is preparing to cancel the excommunication of four traditionalist Catholic bishops including one who believes the Holocaust never happened and the gas chambers were a myth.

If it's true, it's certainly rather odd, but then again, excommunication is mostly reserved for people who defy the authority of church in some way, so a welcome back wouldn't be all that strange if the guys recanted whatever got them excommunicated in the first place.

Still, with Christoph Schönborn, the cardinal of Vienna (and friend of Ratzinger) a creationist, it doesn't seem too out of character to have a holocaust-denier on board too. Oh well

humanji

A pope once put a previous (and very much dead) pope put on trial many moons ago, so this doesn't seem to odd to me at all.

pepsicokeacola

david duke is atheist

It's not very odd, but, that doesn't make it any less wrong.

studiorat

robindch wrote: »

If it's true, it's certainly rather odd, but then again, excommunication is mostly reserved for people who defy the authority of church in some way, so a welcome back wouldn't be all that strange if the guys recanted whatever got them excommunicated in the first place.

They were excommunicated a for being ordained by Bishop Lefevre back in the 80's. Being allowed back in would seem like an effort to begin dialogue with them.

studiorat

pepsicokeacola wrote: »

david duke is atheist

fail.

UU

that's just stupid when there's plain evidence for the Holocaust existing and the fact that thousands of Jews and many others were gassed to death! It may have happened late into the war but it certainly happened. Besides, would it satisfy him if they were hung or shot or stabbed or whatever. The fact is so many innocent civilians perished as a result of messed-up ideals and hatred. Does it really matter how they died? when the fact is that they died and that it was a sickening thing too The catholic church are ridiculous and pathetic and the more power the lose the better!

philologos

robindch wrote: »

Still, with Christoph Schönborn, the cardinal of Vienna (and friend of Ratzinger) a creationist, it doesn't seem too out of character to have a holocaust-denier on board too. Oh well

In fairness there is quite a difference between a creationist and a Holocaust denier.

robindch

Jakkass wrote: »

In fairness there is quite a difference between a creationist and a Holocaust denier.

Indeed -- one denies physical reality while the other denies historical reality

philologos

and the one denying historical reality happens to belittle the death of 6 million people.

robindch

Jakkass wrote: »

and the one denying historical reality happens to belittle the death of 6 million people.

Well, if he sincerely believes the Holocaust didn't happen, then, in his own eyes, he's not belittling the death of 6 million people...

Galvasean

Both 6 day creationists and holocaust deniers believe in outlandish ideas despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Fair comparison IMO.

Dave!

Jakkass wrote: »

and the one denying historical reality happens to belittle the death of 6 million people.

If you believe the earth is 6,000 years old then in a way you are insulting whatever thousand/million people that were alive before that, because you're claiming they never existed in the first place

eoin5

Dave! wrote: »

If you believe the earth is 6,000 years old then in a way you are insulting whatever thousand/million people that were alive before that, because you're claiming they never existed in the first place

And if you dont youre insulting the veggie rexes, damned if ya do...

philologos

robindch wrote: »

Well, if he sincerely believes the Holocaust didn't happen, then, in his own eyes, he's not belittling the death of 6 million people...

Well evidently according to him about 5,600,000 people just vanished, despite probably being recorded in previous census figures beforehand.

studiorat

He actually said 200,000 to 300,000 died.

philologos

Yes, but considering that 6 million cannot be accounted for as having been alive after 1945, the other 5,700,000 are still left missing surely.

studiorat

I see. Very good point...

MrPudding

Big deal. Yet another stupid act by a pope that the rcc apologist will excuse away. At least this one does not cause anyone to die of AIDS or help child rapists stay out of prision and source fresh victims for them. In the grand scheme of things...... so what.

MrP