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Politics | 02/20/2009 11:15 am

Holocaust-Denying Bishop Booted by Argentina

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

Pope Benedict XVI may have backtracked a bit on his stance on Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson, but the firestorm is far from over.

Argentina’s government has ordered Williamson — who has been living there for five years — out of the country within 10 days, or else. Officials say it’s because he gave misinformation on his immigration forms, and because his comments on the Holocaust "profoundly insult Argentine society, the Jewish community and all of humanity."

Meanwhile, 50 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives are formally asking the Pope to fully repudiate Williamson’s views. Williamson thinks only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews were killed during World War II — not the estimated six million, many of whom were gassed to death. He is one of four bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X whose excommunication was lifted by the Vatican last month.

"We do not question your reasons for revoking the excommunication of Bishop Williamson or your right to do so, but we fail to understand why the revocation was not accompanied by an emphatic public rejection of his denial of the Holocaust," the U.S. lawmakers wrote.

The Boston Globe has a great story today on two Catholic brothers who enrolled in Williamson’s Connecticut seminary a year ago. They say he was unapologetically anti-Semitic — even called the Holocaust "the biggest theatrics known to mankind" — and had a "horrible attitude" toward women.

"I have a sizable nose, and he would say to me, ‘Rizzo, are you baptized, or are you a Jew?’" Rev. John Rizzo, who is now based in New Zealand, told the Globe. "There was another seminarian named Oppenheimer, and he would say: ‘Oppenheimer, I don’t like your name. If you keep it up, there’s a gas chamber waiting for you at the boathouse.’" Not only is that offensive, it’s tacky.

69 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

DeBúrca obj
"Meanwhile, 50 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives are formally asking the Pope to fully repudiate Williamson’s views. "… I love it, the Democrats giving some back to the Pope. It’s about time.
By DeBúrca obj on 02/20/2009 11:12 am
Robert Sledz
Yeah….while the same 50 catholic dems openly accept abortion which is against catholic Teaching…Is that consistent to you, madam?
By Robert Sledz on 02/20/2009 2:49 pm
DeBúrca obj
The fact that this man, with his reprehensible behavior, was made a bishop says a lot about the Vatican.
By DeBúrca obj on 02/20/2009 11:14 am
Robert Sledz
Excuse me, madam….he wasn’t made "a" bishop by the Vaitican.  get your story straight and read the article.  He was excommunicated along with 3 other bishops because of another bishop ordaining them without Papal Approval!  Read first!  It often helps…. ;)
By Robert Sledz on 02/20/2009 2:57 pm
phyllis Doyle Pepe
You are correct, Robert, but that information was not in above article. Perhaps you are the one who needs to read more closely.
By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 02/21/2009 3:12 pm
phyllis Doyle Pepe
Sorry––my mistake––info is on link, but not in detail, My apologies, sir.( From another Madam)
By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 02/21/2009 3:17 pm
f p
Nevertheless this being needs to be excommunicated and defrocked. Period, Robert.  Papal approval or not.
By f p on 02/22/2009 6:14 am
C jay

Certainly does, but what else is new, they also deny those who were and are sexually abused by priests - Boston Archdiocese simply doesn’t answer the victims’ emails any more. It’s rampant everywhere, in other churches, groups, associations, too …

 

By C jay on 02/22/2009 9:24 pm
marta pont
Do not be fooled with this news.  Problem is the Kirchner administration is going down the drain, facing a monumental domestic crisis (political/social & financial), there is a massive strike of ranchers & agricultors which already proved to be the Kirchener’s nemesis last year.  Then they badly needed some sort of news likely to make headlines & hide the real problems.  They could not fool us.  So Bishop Williamson’s extradition is just a decoy, nothing else.
By marta pont on 02/20/2009 11:16 am
John G
The fact that he was re-instated says volumes about the current pope!
By John G on 02/20/2009 11:17 am
Maggie Russo

It is shameful that he was re-instated and the…infallible Pope…should apologize to the Jewish community.  I am a Presbyterian & every time the Roman Catholic community does something embarassing I still cringe; it reflects on Christians as a whole.  

By Maggie Russo on 02/20/2009 11:55 am
Roger from Ohio

Im just guessing here…..

If he was excommunicated because his views were wrong….. what happened to make his views right enough to have him re-instated? 

By Roger from Ohio on 02/20/2009 12:13 pm
Tee Zee
Exactly Roger, what do they stand for or are they waiting for some divine intervention here?
By Tee Zee on 02/20/2009 12:21 pm
Zera Lee
Richard Nelson Williamson, (born 8 March 1940) is a bishop of the Society of St. Pius X. By a decree of the Congregation for Bishops and a motu proprio of Pope John Paul II the Roman Catholic Church declared him excommunicated in 1988 because of his unauthorized consecration by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, which it deemed to be “unlawful” and “a schismatic act”.” He was not excommunicated for his views on the Holocaust. OTOH, if the Pope didn’t know about Williamson’s views, then the Church is quite sloppy about watching the shepherds - but we already knew that. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7869565.stm
By Zera Lee on 02/20/2009 3:11 pm
C jay

He went to confession, Roger. Like the fathers of 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 kids who divorce and get an annullment! The dioceses merely say, "he never tried to get the marriage to gel, so an annullment helps the wife ‘move on …"

What the hell???????????????

Just what does that make the children??? I think it starts with a "b."

In later adulthood, watching America put a church, or a bank on every corner, and turn it’s back on humans, that churey is Birchey.

By C jay on 02/22/2009 9:30 pm