...and even bluntly, from the heart and in language allowing of no ambiguities, the Holy Father has in a statement which is at once official and rather moving, established that no Catholic can be anti-Semitic,or support any attempts to deny the Holocaust of Jewish people in WWII."It is beyond question that any denial or minimization of this terrible crime is intolerable and altogether unacceptable." He met a Jewish delegation yesterday following the appalling statements made on the subject by a Lefebvrist bishop.Yesterday's meeting went well, and the leading rabbi told the Pope "Thank you for understanding our pain and anguish".
Quoting Nostra Aetate, the document of Vatican II, the Holy Father confirmed that this document guides and informs the Church on the subject of relations between the Church and the Jewish people. "The Church is profoundly and irrevocably committed to reject all anti-Semitism and to continue to build good and lasting relations between our two communities." He also quoted the prayer made by Pope John Paul II begging for forgiveness and reconcilation between Christians and Jews and added "I make this prayer my own".
Will this receive the publicity it needs and merits? Over to you: get the word out, so that the message of the Church and Peter's successor is clear.
The Lefbvrists will now have to decide: if they want to rejoin the Church, they must do so by accepting the authority of the Pope, and the teachings of the most recent Vatican Council, and publicly abandoning the anti-Jewish stances taken and material published by various groups within their ranks. As must those other soi-disant "traditionalist" campaigners who have sent anti-Jewish rants to me and to others recently.
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5 comments:
What is striking in the whole debacle of this issue are three things. First the general sense of ignorance among esteemed and scholarly types over what Pope Benedict in particular and the Church in general actually considers, holds and teaches. Secondly, the instant news cycle that the net has spawned along with the plethora of blogs, (present company excepted) comments and articles voicing opinion that only muddy the way to truth. And thirdly, the naive and perhaps insular attitude that the various agencies and dicasteries of the Holy See take towards public relations and good press. Seriously, if "Peter" is a sign of the unity of truth, then perhaps those working in the engine room of the Barque of Peter, ought to come up on deck the odd time!
I think what a lot of Jewish commentators, and secular commentators failed to realise is that the lifting of the excommunication is not an "honour". It is the removal of a particularly severe penalty.
The penalty of suspension from priestly or episcopal functions remains, and as you say, it seems that SSPX will have to renounce anti-Semitism in a fairly unambiguous way for the Holy Father even to consider lifting that.
Whilst inciting religious / racial hatred is a sin, it would be unreasonable to excommunicate Catholics simply for racism. If such policies were followed through to their logical conclusion vast numbers would have to be thrown out of the Church. It is another thing to appoint racists as bishops, which is what Lefevre did.
It appears in my view, that news overall re:faith is pro muslin.Catholics, Church of England, Jewish, and other reglious views are not fairly reported in the papers or on T.V. Maybe because all Catholic,s C of E, Jews and others are so nice to each other.Are views are over looked and not reported.
Auntie Joanna as you work in the media, could you start a be fair report fair campain.How lovely it would be to see you on BBC News or GMTV. Giving you fair an honest views.
"This guilt seems more enormous in us than in the Jews since in the testimony of the same Apostle: 'if they had known it they never would have crucified the Lord of glory'; while we on the contrary professing to know Him, yet denying Him by our actions, seem in some sort to lay violent hands on him."
Etc., etc.
Catechism of the Council of Trent, 1566.
Oh, I surely hope so. I find myself wondering how few words I can use that will lovingly and clearly tell the accurate truth of this very misunderstood situation. Your statement helps a lot. I especially want to include the quotes of both the leading rabbi's statement, and also our Holy Father's statement "I make this prayer my own", when referring to the apology by Holy Father Jean Paul II. My Jewish friends very much appreciate hearing a simple explanation, especially when it comes from a place of true empathic understanding of the magnitude of their holocaust memories. This ought never be denied or minimized. I will be very happy to refer my Jewish friends to this blog. God Bless you, Joanna.
Nancy Dewey
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