Bishop Fellay's Apology for Holocaust Statements
"We Ask For the Forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff"MENZINGEN, Switzerland, JAN. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the communiqué made public today by the superior-general of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, in which he apologizes for statements made by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the society, in which he denied the extent of the Holocaust.
On Saturday, the Pope lifted the excommunication of the four bishops ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 without papal permission. Bishops Fellay and Williamson were among the four.
* * *
We have come to know of an interview given by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity of St. Pius X, on Swedish television. In this interview he spoke of historical questions, in particular on the question of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis.
It is evident that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesial authority if it is not a question of faith and morals. Our fraternity does not claim any authority over other questions. Its mission is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, as found in the dogmas of the faith. It is for this that we are known, accepted and appreciated throughout the world.
With great sadness we acknowledge the extent to which the violation of this mandate has damaged our mission. The statements of Bishop Williamson do not reflect in any way the position of our society. For this, I have prohibited him, until further notice, from speaking publicly on these political and historical questions
We ask for the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff, and of all people of good will, for the dramatic consequences of this act. As we recognize how imprudent the statements were, we affirm with sadness that they have directly affected our fraternity by discrediting our mission.
This is not acceptable, and we declare that we will continue preaching Catholic doctrine and administering the sacraments of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Menzingen, Jan. 27, 2009
Bishop Bernard Fellay
Superior General
[Translation by Karna Swanson]
posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 10:19 PM
2 Comments:
If we can expect Catholics to apologize for real or apparent wrongs of other Catholics in the past, then certainly we can call on the Jews to apologize for the murder of Jesus by their predecessors. Also, what is the greater wrong, questioning some details of history or the assertion (by current Judaism) that Jesus was not the Son of God and that he was a fraud? Shouldn't all Catholics call on the followers of Judaism to retract these false and offensive statements and beliefs? Didn't the first martyr, Stephen, do just that. Seems to me that those that claim the name of Christ should be more loyal to him than to those who deny him.
I totally understand your point and your frustration. These are all very thorny issues fraught with misunderstanding and ill will. Of course, Jesus delivered to the multitude--and by extention all of us who believe in Him--the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). (All scriptural quotes are from the RSV.) Therein are His revolutionary statements of love--the "blesseds" of the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12). He knows that we cannot love in this way without His help. Only by being one in Him, by abiding in Him, can we ever even hope to approach such perfect love. After all, He died for us all, even the most wicked. And as His followers, He knows the world will misunderstand us and persecute us as they persecuted the prophets (Mt.5:11-12). Nevertheless, no matter how difficult, He still calls us to wholeheartedly abide in His perfect love. In summary--He calls us to perfection. To hammer the point home, at the conclusion of His sermon, He gives us the "preposterous" challenge in Mt.5:48, "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect". So, even though we are to be "in the world and not of it," it constantly appears that those living "in the world and of it" love to, and with unmitigated glee, take potshots at believers and the Church. Jesus must want to stretch our capacity to love in His way, selflessly and perfectly--for our patience is tried and tested at every opportunity.
Today, January 30, Bill Donahue also helped to clarify some of nuances of this particular controvercy. Please see my post of his article, "Pope's Outreach Unfairly Portrayed" at http://popebenedictxviblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/popes-outreach-unfairly-portrayed.html.
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