This is important to understand when reading articles in which ignorant, if not anti-Catholic reporters write about the “rehabilitation” of the four “bishops.” At this juncture, the rehabilitation of the men doesn’t involve making them officers of the Church with official functions; it simply refers to the lifting of their excommunications. Moreover, the Vatican has made clear that Williamson will never be able to assume ecclesiastical duties unless he completely renounces his claims regarding the Holocaust.
Yet critics are still incensed. “Why would the Pope lift the excommunication of a man holding such outrageous views?” they ask. Others, such as Einar Koch writing at Bild.com, are befuddled. He wonders, “...does the Vatican really know the extent of Williamson's outrageous beliefs?” (Note: It has now been revealed that the Pope did not know.)
While that is a fair question, this is nevertheless where I lose a bit of patience. I would have to ask Koch and the rest of the media, “Do you really know to any extent what you’re caterwauling about?” For while the secular world talks sanctimoniously about how the Church has to work toward “understanding,” it seems to forget that understanding must go both ways.
I can sum up the Church’s critics’ position very simply: A bad man said some bad things, and lifting an excommunication is a good thing to do for someone. And only a bad man would do a good thing for a bad man. This little Dick-and-Jane explanation seems simplistic, but it’s accurate, as most of the critics are long on didacticism but short on depth.
In reality, they’re acting like a lynch mob angry that the authorities aren’t meting out its version of justice. This isn’t surprising coming from people who seem to believe that, oh, for instance, a legislative body can ignore constitutional dictates and do whatever its majority decides, but the Church is governed by laws, not whims. I’ll illustrate the point with an analogy.
Imagine that the death penalty is administered for the murder of a child. Now let’s say a man commits this crime and is thus sentenced. Subsequently, however, exculpatory evidence is presented and the man is pardoned. All right, now imagine it comes to light that the man made some vile anti-Catholic statements, and outraged Catholics demand that the sentence be carried out anyway. Would this be reasonable? Besides the fact that such a punishment would be disproportionate, I think the secular world’s reply would be that its law isn’t there to do the Church’s bidding.
Article comments
1 - Baronius
Great article. Some real insights in it.
One quibble: Williamson and the others were and are bishops. They became bishops in the same act that made them excommunicated. They had all the power of a bishop, but were never licit (able to exercise those powers in good standing). That's what makes them such an issue: they can ordain priests.
2 - bliffle
It's just those daffy catholics again with their goofy antics.
3 - Bill
No, Williamson was never a Bishop who had any standing in the Catholic Church. No one in the Society of Saint Pius X does because the Archbishop who ordained them never had the authority under the Pope to do so. These were members of a schismatic group, the SSPX, not Catholic Church clergy. They were all excommunnicated.
I see what the aithor means about people not having an understanding of the issue.
4 - Bill
And any priests Williamson ordained have no standing as Catholic clergy, either. Even the lifting of the excommunication doesn't allow them any Liturgical of Office rights. It only allows them to partake of the Sacraments, like all Catholics.
5 - Jordan Richardson
I see what the aithor means about people not having an understanding of the issue.
Right, because Catholic politics are so cut and dry.
6 - robert
This is simply more tired excuses for abuses from the vatican. it is really getting tiring and old. These critisism's like are pointed directly at church policy. As where the crtisisms of their handling of the child molestation scandle. Not against catholics as a whole or anything like that. how much longer can the vatican simply dismiss all critisim as being anti-catholic? When are they going to show some leadership? If they cant or wont show leadership then why dont they simply resign and make way for a generation that can.