tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post1354661365743361455..comments2024-02-08T00:38:57.594-05:00Comments on Talmud תלמוד by Tzvee Zahavy: Times: Pope Benedict Reinstates Holocaust Denier Bishop Richard WilliamsonTzvee Zahavyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15833902273722124103noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-42676308953510721282009-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:002009-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:00Mr. Ratzinger openly admitted to serving in the Na...Mr. Ratzinger openly admitted to serving in the Nazi army for two years after fulfilling his duty in the Hitler Youth Corps. Granted, he claimed to have never fired a shot during his service. Many think that statement lacks credibility. How does one serve on active duty in an army, as a gunner, during an all-out war, for two years, and never fire a shot? <BR/><BR/>Mr. Ratzinger's memory can reasonably be called into question here, particularly since he seemed also to have no recollection of the numerous incidents of anti-semitic violence which occurred in Traunstein while he was living there.<BR/><BR/>If, as he claimed, Mr. Ratzinger did not approve personally of the Nazi agenda, then his service in the Nazi army would have been, even more, a particularly egregiously immoral act.<BR/><BR/>I can't help but be reminded of the famous quote from Niemoller:<BR/><BR/>"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; <BR/>And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; <BR/>And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew . . ."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-72629227293513915962009-01-28T15:07:00.000-05:002009-01-28T15:07:00.000-05:00Here's an article that I found today which brings ...Here's an article that I found today which brings to light additional information on this subject. I find it very sad to see so many individuals readily attack the pope and the Church on a shoestring of information and their own hard-heartedness and anger. Please read on...<BR/><BR/>SSPX Head Apologizes<BR/>POSTED BY TOM MCFEELY<BR/>Wednesday, January 28, 2009 10:39 AM<BR/><BR/>Bishop Bernard Fellay (CNS/Reuters)<BR/>Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, has apologized to Pope Benedict XVI for the controversial Holocaust-denying remarks of another SSPX bishop.<BR/><BR/>Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four SSPX bishops to have their excommunications lifted last week by the Pope, made the comments in an interview aired in mid-January on Swedish TV.<BR/><BR/>Here is the text of Bishop Fellay’s Jan. 27 statement, as translated from Italian by the National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen, Jr.:<BR/><BR/>“We have become aware of an interview released by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity of St. Pius X, to Swedish television. In this interview, he expressed himself on historical questions, and in particular on the question of the genocide against the Jews carried out by the Nazis.<BR/><BR/>“It’s clear that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesiastical authority except on questions that regard faith and morals. Our Fraternity does not claim any authority on other matters. Its mission is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, expressed in the dogmas of the faith. It’s for this reason that we are known, accepted and respected in the entire world.<BR/><BR/>“It’s with great sadness that we recognize the extent to which the violation of this mandate has done damage to our mission. The affirmations of Bishop Williamson do not reflect in any sense the position of our Fraternity. For this reason I have prohibited him, pending any new orders, from taking any public positions on political or historical questions.<BR/><BR/>“We ask the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff, and of all people of good will, for the dramatic consequences of this act. Because we recognize how ill-advised these declarations were, we can only look with sadness at the way in which they have directly struck our Fraternity, discrediting its mission.<BR/><BR/>“This is something we cannot accept, and we declare that we will continue to preach Catholic doctrine and to administer the sacraments of grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”<BR/><BR/>At his general audience today at the Vatican, the Pope said he lifted the SSPX excommunications in hopes of fostering unity with the Society of St. Pius X, which opposes the Second Vatican Council’s liturgical reforms and some other aspects of the Council.<BR/><BR/>“I undertook this act of paternal mercy because these prelates had repeatedly manifested to me their deep pain at the situation in which they had come to find themselves,” the Holy Father said. “I hope my gesture is followed by the hoped-for commitment on their part to take the further steps necessary to realize full communion with the church, thus witnessing true fidelity, and true recognition of the magisterium and the authority of the Pope and of the Second Vatican Council.” <BR/>Permalink | Filed under benedict xvi, bishop fellay, excommunications, society of st. pius xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-52930151429015030552009-01-28T10:11:00.000-05:002009-01-28T10:11:00.000-05:00for its heroic leadership, the church sets the bar...for its heroic leadership, the church sets the bar pretty lowTzvee Zahavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833902273722124103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-83684291182657050682009-01-28T10:03:00.000-05:002009-01-28T10:03:00.000-05:00Ratzinger fled! So...he fits the bill of your "wh...Ratzinger fled! So...he fits the bill of your "whole different plane." This is very upsetting:<BR/><BR/>http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2005/04/What-Joseph-Ratzinger-Did-During-The-War.aspxGaetanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14722914942511761947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-34426398668046177012009-01-27T21:33:00.000-05:002009-01-27T21:33:00.000-05:00To a certain, limited extent, you have a point. H...To a certain, limited extent, you have a point. However, many Germans - thousands - refused to buckle under and refused to join the Nazis, though that usually meant they became refugees. At some level, everyone has a choice. I came of age when the USA was engaged in what I considered to be an unconscionable war in Viet Nam, and legally, I was subject to the draft. I refused to cooperate, at the risk of going to jail. <BR/><BR/>We all make choices; Some are more principled than others. Unfortunately, the man who is now Pope made the decision to join the Hitler Youth. Granted, the alternative choice would have been much more difficult. Nevertheless, it was a choice. I'm no saint, and would never expect to hold a high religious post of any sort, but at 17, I think my morals were on a whole different plane than those of the 17-year-old who chose the easy way out, and joined the Nazis decades before he would be appointed Pope.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-88474049964905584822009-01-27T12:01:00.000-05:002009-01-27T12:01:00.000-05:00He was a member of the Hitler Youth, as was any ot...He was a member of the Hitler Youth, as was any other German of his age, given that membership for non-Jews became mandatory in 1936. Neither he nor his family were Nazis, as any historian who has looked at the matter will gladly inform you. Still, don't let that get in the way of a nice smear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-29183488567507124572009-01-26T15:30:00.000-05:002009-01-26T15:30:00.000-05:00The elephant in the room is the fact - not a wild ...The elephant in the room is the fact - not a wild allegation, but an accepted, undisputed, undeniable fact - that the current Pope used to be a Nazi. The College of Cardinals was aware of this when they elected him. Caveat emptor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-19608801206102509032009-01-25T18:37:00.000-05:002009-01-25T18:37:00.000-05:00the jewish agency says holocaust denial = antisemi...the jewish agency says holocaust denial = antisemitism and this williamson is guilty of it ---<BR/><BR/>Jewish Agency official slams bishop rehabilitation<BR/>By KAREN ZOLKA<BR/><BR/>JERUSALEM (AP) — A senior official in Israel's Jewish Agency on Sunday slammed a decision by Pope Benedict XVI to rehabilitate a bishop who denied the existence of the Holocaust.<BR/><BR/>"I think it's a scandal," said Amos Hermon, head of the Task Force Against Anti-Semitism at the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency. "It is something we cannot understand."<BR/><BR/>The pope's decision Saturday to rescind the excommunication of four bishops came just days after one of them, Richard Williamson of Britain, told Swedish TV that evidence "is hugely against 6 million Jews being deliberately gassed."<BR/><BR/>The Holocaust by German Nazis and their collaborators is recognized as the most traumatic event in modern Jewish history. Denial of the Holocaust is seen in Israel as anti-Semitism.<BR/><BR/>Hermon said at a news conference that Richardson's rehabilitation insulted Israel — and the more than 200,000 Holocaust survivors who live there.<BR/><BR/>"For them, it's their whole life," he said.<BR/><BR/>Despite warnings from Jewish groups that Williamson's rehabilitation might damage delicate ties between Israel and the Vatican and even throw doubt on the pontiff's plan to visit the Holy Land this year, a senior Israeli official played down the significance of the pope's action.<BR/><BR/>"This is not a matter that concerns the interactions between the states," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told The Associated Press.<BR/><BR/>The Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said Saturday that Williamson's views were "absolutely indefensible." But he denied that rehabilitating Williamson implied that the Vatican shared them.<BR/><BR/>The four bishops were excommunicated 20 years ago after they were consecrated by a late ultraconservative archbishop without papal consent — a move the Vatican said at the time was an act of schism.Tzvee Zahavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833902273722124103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-57793772173584295012009-01-25T17:23:00.000-05:002009-01-25T17:23:00.000-05:00I just found your blog and I love it. Don’t worry...I just found your blog and I love it. Don’t worry about that Williamson Dude. Benedict has to unexcommunicate him to free the guys beneath him. As it stands right now the Vatican has no power over Pius X Society. Now that they are back in the Pope will clean their house. Trust me that the Catholic Church is not anti-Semitic. Bishop Williamson will be gone to pasture within a year and the Pope will fix their problems. I can understand how you feel about his rantings but he is just one messed up dude. The majority of Catholics I know detest bigots of any kind. Sincerely, Holly HayesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-24089465074966224102009-01-25T16:00:00.000-05:002009-01-25T16:00:00.000-05:00tzvee, you're a bigot. I'm frum, have no educatio...tzvee, you're a bigot. I'm frum, have no education in church doctrine, but even I can see that he's not a bishop, the fact that you can't see it would indicate being blinded by bigotry that you place on others.<BR/><BR/>to make an analogy, if there would be a jew, who would be a member of a shul who was a bigot as well as a crook. If the shul kicked him out for being a crook, but he made ammends for his crookedness so they let him back in, it doesn't say that they agree with his bigotness.<BR/><BR/>that's all that happened here, he lost his position and was kicked out of the church, now he's been let back in the church, but he hasn't regained his position.<BR/><BR/>anyone with a few brain cells should be able to figure this out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-79891231843706765312009-01-25T10:31:00.000-05:002009-01-25T10:31:00.000-05:00The Catholic Church must be very sick if such a nu...The Catholic Church must be very sick if such a nutcase is seen to be needed within its fold. Instead of making sure that such people are removed from the church for their crazy, sick ideas- the Pope has done the opposite.<BR/><BR/>I think it is time for Israel to break off all relations with this sick & evil organisation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-9314273451144720692009-01-25T09:39:00.000-05:002009-01-25T09:39:00.000-05:00The Pope has merely lifted the excommunication tha...The Pope has merely lifted the excommunication that Williamson <I>inter alia</I> incurred <I>lata sententiae</I> for illicitly receiving episcopal orders without a papal mandate. He has not been 'reinstated'. The SSPX is still without canonical recognition, as it was suppressed in 1975. Bishop Williamson is still suspended <I>a divinis</I>. He has no jurisdiction, and never will. He is not even permitted to celebrate Mass!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-76159579002244402192009-01-25T08:25:00.000-05:002009-01-25T08:25:00.000-05:00"i speak as a jew who is troubled when a person wh..."i speak as a jew who is troubled when a person who appears to be a dangerous entity is given an approval by the church."<BR/><BR/>what "approval" are you referring to?? we have to stop being paranoid....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-80812250215862008002009-01-24T23:39:00.000-05:002009-01-24T23:39:00.000-05:00what you say is quite troubling to me. only a chur...what you say is quite troubling to me. only a church in decline and in a defensive mode would scramble to reinstate factions that are problematic like this one. but i have no investment in the church. i speak as a jew who is troubled when a person who appears to be a dangerous entity is given an approval by the church.Tzvee Zahavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833902273722124103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-5562726477320238272009-01-24T20:29:00.000-05:002009-01-24T20:29:00.000-05:00Again, Pope Benedict has not "implicitly endorsed"...Again, Pope Benedict has not "implicitly endorsed" Bishop Williamson's views on the Holocaust or Jews in general, and to suggest that he has is slanderous. If a man were on trial for theft, and evidence were to show up in the course of the trial that suggested he'd cheated on his wife, the jury might have grounds to believe that he was a sleazeball. They would not, however, be "implicitly endorsing" his adultery in finding him not guilty of theft. Similarly, lifting an excommunication imposed for a precise reason does not mean that Bishop Williamson's views on <I>anything</I> have been endorsed - or even that they are likely to be tolerated in the terms of the new settlement. At present he is no longer excommunicated, but he remains suspended from exercising his functions as a bishop. <BR/><BR/>Have a look at what Bishop Williamson has said about Pope Benedict himself. (A clue: it's not nice.) Ask yourself: is Pope Benedict "implicitly endorsing" that, too?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3523041.post-89449910335868214162009-01-24T19:44:00.000-05:002009-01-24T19:44:00.000-05:00Disgusting and moronic as Holocaust denial is, it ...Disgusting and moronic as Holocaust denial is, it is not an excommunicable offence. The bishops were excommunicated in 1988 for taking part in illict consecrations (i.e. being made bishops without papal approval). That Pope Benedict has removed the excommunications in response to petitions and prayers by hundreds of thousands of Catholics has no relation to one of the four bishops' views on the Holocaust. In any case, Bishop Williamson remains suspended. That he is no longer excommunicated simply means that he is allowed to receive the sacraments in the same way that a Catholic layman can.<BR/><BR/>I hope this helps clarify what's going on a bit. The coverage hasn't been great, but remember that Pope Benedict has visited and prayed at Auschwitz, has spoken repeatedly against the sin of anti-Semitism, and that what he has done as regards the Society of St Pius X is in no way a repudiation of that. Your claim that he is "using the catholic church to foster a retrograde bigoted and racist agenda" is, I'm afraid, slanderous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com