Monday, January 26, 2009
This is just a quick link to follow -- an "aside." These are links to interesting things that, for one reason or another, I didn't place into a full posting. Click the link to visit the full article. Go to the blog index for a regular listing of posts.
Wiesenthal Center: Holocaust Deniers And Jew Haters Should Not Have Pope Benedict's Sanction - 'The Simon Wiesenthal Center is calling on His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to declare that the group known as the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) cannot function within the Catholic Church while mocking Church doctrine on anti-Semitism...'
Ya know, unless this is somehow being misrepresented this would keep me from being willing to become a Catholic, something I have considered in the past. Though it's not the odd quirkiness of reinstated bishops such as Richard Williamson that would keep me from doing so (e.g., Williamson, in addition to denying the larger part of the holocaust, also holds 9/11, Kennedy assassination and Masonic oriented conspiracy theories, so he's something of an "equal opportunity" crackpot).
What would likely keep me from such a consideration is the practical and theological issue associated with a focus upon the Jews as Christ killers theme. That focus, from a theological pov alone, represents a fundamental distortion and even a malignancy. That doesn't even get into the historical/empirical issues. I won't get into the more proper theology, it would only seem arcane or put readers off all the more.
Otoh I see much the same thing by members of the Jewish community when they fail, for example, to so much as attenuate their views relative to Pius XII, despite contravening scholarship. I won't elaborate here, but I commented upon one very small aspect of that contrary scholarly evidence at Z-word not so long ago. (And both of the scholars/academics referenced in the counter argument are themselves Jewish, as noted in the comment.) Slanders and systematic distortions are not tantamount to historical truth, as best we can gauge that history, but that's true for all players, not from one side of the discussion and issues only.
So, if this SSPX report is accurate and further assuming I understand it correctly, the particular fact taken note of would indeed keep me from moving into the Catholic Church's communion. But I'm also aware it would be something of a unilateral decision. There is an ample supply of incuriousness and willfullness, when it comes to certain subjects, within Jewish communities as well and they are no less malformed.
Re, the SSPX, this WaPo report excerpt:
"Yesterday, the Society of Saint Pius X ordered Williamson not to speak on public or historical issues and apologized to Benedict for Williamson's "ill-advised" statements.
"Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican's ecumenical and Jewish outreach, also called Williamson's comments "gibberish" and said his views on the Holocaust don't reflect those of the church."
"Masonic oriented conspiracy theories".
They are also in the "hamas charter" of 1988 in Articles 17, 22, 28.
The nazis also hated Freemasons.
I see a common values, common enemies in nazis and hamas.