IN A further attempt to quell criticism prompted by the lifting of the excommunication of Holocaust denier Bishop Richard Williamson, the Vatican yesterday called on the bishop to “unequivocally and publicly distance himself” from his previous statements on the Shoah.
In a statement which comes just one day after German chancellor Angela Merkel had urged the pope to clarify the matter, the Vatican not only called Bishop Williamson’s position on the Holocaust “absolutely unacceptable and totally rejected by the Holy Father” but also claimed that the pope had not been aware of Bishop Williamson’s views when he had made the decision to lift the excommunication.
This latest “damage-limitation” exercise from the Vatican comes after two weeks of mounting criticism not only from Jewish leaders worldwide but also from senior bishops from France, Germany, Holland and from within the Holy See itself.
At the centre of the furore is the Pope’s decision to lift the 1988 excommunication of four ultratraditionalist bishops, including Bishop Williamson, all members of the Fraternity of St Pius X, founded in 1970 by controversial French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Ronald S Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, which represents Jewish communities in 80 countries, welcomed yesterday’s Vatican statement, calling it “the sign the Jewish world has been waiting for”.
Mr Lauder said anti-Semites “should not be allowed to have a say in the Church” and called on the pope to ensure that “the achievements of four decades of Catholic-Jewish dialogue” were not damaged by a “small minority”.
Mr Lauder also suggested that the Vatican had been “badly advised” over the revocation of the excommunication of the four bishops, claiming that “Bishop Williamson’s blatant anti-Semitism is not an isolated case within the Pius X Brotherhood”.
Senior Vatican observers contacted this week tend to agree about the mishandling of the “Lefebvrites”. Given that the fraternity was well known for its opposition to inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue, the lifting of the excommunications was always going to be a controversial matter.
When it transpired that one of the four bishops was a well-known Holocaust denier, then alarm bells should have sounded.
The Vatican’s claim yesterday that Pope Benedict was unaware of Bishop Williamson’s views is perplexing.
After all, even the most casual internet search would have thrown up information about a man who as far back as 1989 praised the writings of Ernst Zundel, a German-born Canadian and author of works such as Did Six Million Really Die?.
Further questions have been prompted about the handling of this issue by none other than German Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, the Vatican department which also contains the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
In an interview with Vatican Radio on Monday, Cardinal Kasper argued that the Roman Curia had mishandled the whole issue, regretting that Vatican departments had not spoken to each other in order “to predict where problems might arise”.
Two weeks ago, at a private lunch with senior diplomats to the Holy See, Cardinal Kasper had been asked about media speculation that the excommunications might be lifted.
This will not happen, replied the cardinal, the media have got it all wrong.
Next day, however, the Vatican issued a statement confirming the lifting of the excommunications, saying the whole matter had been closely followed by Pope Benedict, who “has always tried to mend the break with the fraternity”.
Vatican insiders report that Cardinal Kasper was absolutely furious about the pope’s decision not only because he disagreed with it but also because he had been kept entirely “out of the loop” on an issue of obvious pertinence to his department.
Senior church figures such as German Cardinal Karl Lehman, the Archbishop of Rotterdam, Adiranus van Lyn and dissident Catholic theologian Hans Küng have also expressed their concern about the pope’s decision.
Yesterday’s statement, coming exactly a week after the pope had expressed his “solidarity” with Jews in a much-quoted homily, would seem to be a response to these further criticisms.