German prosecutors file charges against SSPX bishop for denying Holocaust
October 19, 2009
German prosecutors have filed charges against Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X. The bishop said in an internvew conducted in Germany, where Holocaust denial is a crime, that “there was not one Jew killed by the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies.” The interview, aired on Swedish television in January hours after Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of Bishop Williamson and three other bishops ordained by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, provoked a firestorm of controversy that led the Pontiff to issue a remarkable March letter to all bishops.
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Further information:
- German prosecutors act against Holocaust-denying bishop (AFP)
- Catholic bishop denies Holocaust (UKPA)
- Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Concerning the Remission of the Excommunication of the Four Bishops Consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre (Holy See)
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Posted by: New Sister -
Oct. 19, 2009 5:55 PM ET USA
I think the bigger crime here is Germany's laws - prosecuting people for having an opinion? It's frightening, no matter how misguided a person's opinion may be.
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Posted by: -
Oct. 19, 2009 4:39 PM ET USA
A critical omission: “there was not one Jew killed by the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies.” He said that lots of Jews were killed: he claimed that the METHOD of murder was different than commonly claimed. (There was also quibbling about the exact number killed.) He was a fool: arguing about the the details of the holocaust is not part of the Great Commission.
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Posted by: John J Plick -
Oct. 19, 2009 12:24 PM ET USA
For the Holy Father, perhaps, a bad coincidence, which he courageously admits... I have nothing but admirtion for this Pope in his relationsip with the Jews.
