Pope Benedict XVI released an apology in six languages today, saying he made a mistake in reaching out to Holocaust-denying Bishop William Richardson.
The Bishop, who was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, was rehabilitated by the Pope on January 21, 2009. The same day, Swedish TV aired an interview with Richardson saying that Nazi gas chambers did not exist, and only about 300,000 were killed in concentration camps. When asked by the interviewer, “If this is not Antisemitism, what is Antisemitism?” Richardson remarked, “If Antisemitism is bad, it’s against truth. If something is true, it’s not bad.”
The Pope claims he was unaware of Richardson’s views. Richardson has not been secretive about his opinions, having referred to the Holocaust as “lies, lies, lies” in the past.
In his March 12 apology, the Pope said he regrets the problems that his “act of mercy” caused within the church and the Jewish community. But the excommunication remains lifted.
Richardson apologized for his remarks, saying that if he had known the stir his words would cause, he would not have said them. But he didn’t say he was wrong. The Vatican said that Richardson must recant his remarks and distance himself from his stand on the Shoah before being allowed to serve as a bishop again. As of the date of this writing, that has not happened.
Pope Benedict XVI is German, and was forced to serve in the army of the Third Reich from 1943-1944. He wrote of his experiences in the book, Milestones by Joseph Ratzinger.
A delegation of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, including Rabbi Oded Wiener, and Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, met with the Pope at the Vatican March 12. They urged him to make Holocaust education a required subject in Catholic schools.
I urge you to make it a part of your life.
Copyright 2009, Kathryn A. Frazier http://preciousholidays.wordpress.com
See also: Never Again! But what if. . . ?
“God Hates Jews!” Christian Antisemitism and Our Response
Pope’s Holocaust Speech Under Fire, Palestinians Cheer Him
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I cannot understand how someone could say something like that.
-Alexandra
http://alexandrakent.wordpress.com