Bishop Who Denied Holocaust Ousted

[Purveyor]

Source: New York Times

ROME — The rehabilitated bishop at the heart of a Vatican uproar for denying the Holocaust has been dismissed as the head of an Argentine seminary.

The seminary announced the dismissal on Sunday in a statement that said the bishop, Richard Williamson was no longer the director of the La Reja seminary on the outskirts of the Argentina capital.

He has said the “historical evidence” argues against Nazi gas chambers and said that only 200,000 to 300,000 people died in concentration camps in the Holocaust.

Bishop Williamson’s views “in no way reflect the position of our congregation,” the Rev. Christian Bouchacourt, the director of the Latin America branch of the Catholic Society of St. Pius X, said in the statement. He expressed “sadness” that Bishop Williamson’s statements had “discredited” the congregation.

Pope Benedict XVI provoked widespread anger last month when he rescinded the excommunications of Bishop Williamson and three fellow bishops, all members of the Society of St. Pius X, as part of an effort to heal a 20-year schism.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world/europe/10pope.html?ref=europe

[havocmom]

1. Good. Perhaps the Church can be spared from the Nazi Pope's pals

[AndyTiedye]

3. Don't Bet On It

Maledict will probably force them to take him back.

[Mrs. Overall]

2. He was dismissed as head of the seminary, but is his excommunication still rescinded?

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Yep, that does not change along with his title

The best thing the Pope can do is assign him to a non-existent diocese (that used to exist sometime in the past). That would chain him to a desk in Rome doing nothing.

Given that this part of a outreach effort towards the radical right fringe SSPX, I doubt that will happen.

[damntexdem]

5. Since he's no longer excommunicated, I guess he can still go to heaven -- how awkward:

I mean, what's he going to say to all of the saints who were slaughtered by the Nazis?

"Oops, sorry guys, my bad!" That just doesn't seem to cut it, somehow.

[Mrs. Overall]

9. Interesting. Thanks for answering my question.

It does seem like rescinding his excommunication, in light of his Holocaust stance, is still an odd and outrageous thing to do. In attempting to mend one fence, this pope has ripped open a new hole.

These sorts of stories remind me why I felt I had to leave the Catholic Church.

[Ian David]

11. I bet that there are Catholics at McMurdo Research Station that need a priest.

"Jesus Christ, it's fucking cold!"

[oberliner]

6. What is your take on this?

Right move or wrong move?

[CatholicEdHead]

7. Right move by the seminary

Latin America is more left leaning as much as Rome hates Liberation Theology, it is thriving in many circles including Argentina. This was more of a local move with the Seminary trying to save face that the Pope probably did not have anything to really do with it.

Now BXVI has opened a real can of worms as he appears to be bending over backwards to the SSPX, radical right fringe. The cost in other areas of the Church will hurt. Even more so, many SSPX, Latin mass people get really rabid and if the SSPX is in, expect a major internal marginalizing of Vatican II, with their goal of removing all of it and follow their ways.

[hedgehog]

8. I doubt these people have changed their beliefs about Jews, they've

just decided to hide those beliefs while the heat is on.

Setting that aside, what about their beliefs about women?

[Ian David]

10. The problem is, the seminary is all run by Jews.

Oh, wait.

Never mind.

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Good for them.

Now Ratzinger ought to follow suit and toss him out entirely.