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Pope Apologizes For His Outreach To Holocaust Denier

By Howard M. Friedman

In a letter (full text) to Catholic bishops described by a Vatican spokesman as an "unusual document worthy of great attention" (Zenit), Pope Benedict XVI has essentially apologized for the confusion created by his lifting of the excommunication of Holocaust-denying Lefebvrite Bishop Richard Williamson. (See prior posting.) In an admission that may reflect generational divides as much as anything else, Benedict said:

I have been told that consulting the information available on the internet would have made it possible to perceive the problem early on. I have learned the lesson that in the future in the Holy See we will have to pay greater attention to that source of news.

Much of the Pope's letter focused on his distress over the fact that his action "momentarily upset peace between Christians and Jews, as well as peace within the Church." Then, in a surprisngly candid statement, he continued:

I was saddened by the fact that even Catholics who, after all, might have had a better knowledge of the situation, thought they had to attack me with open hostility. Precisely for this reason I thank all the more our Jewish friends, who quickly helped to clear up the misunderstanding and to restore the atmosphere of friendship and trust which -- as in the days of Pope John Paul II -- has also existed throughout my pontificate and, thank God, continues to exist.

The Pope's letter went on to emphasize that the issue underlying the Church's split with the Society of St. Pius X that ordained Williamson and others is the need for Catholics to accept the pronouncements of Vatican II. He said: "The Church's teaching authority cannot be frozen in the year 1962..."

Moving to assure that Catholic-Jewish relations would continue on a positive note, the Pope met with a delegation from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. At the meeting, he spoke forcefully of the importance of continued Catholic-Jewish dialogue. (Zenit.) After the meeting, Shear-Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, said that the dispute between Jewish leaders and the Pope that followed the Williamson affair is now over. (Zenit.) An AP story (via Institute for Religion and Public Policy) also reports on the Pope's letter.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on March 13, 2009 (boomark / email).