The Vatican has today released a statement from Bishop Fellay asking the forgiveness of Pope Benedict and of all people of good will for Bishop Williamson's holocuast denial on Swedish TV. Bishop Fellay also made known his decision to prohibit Bishop Williamson from taking any public positions on political or historical questions.Here is a link to the NCR translation of Bishop Fellay's statement.
In the meantime, Bishop Williamson has deigned to write about the affair in his weekly column. There is not a trace of remorse for the damage that he has done to his Fraternity or to the Church. He says:
And let us thank and pray for Benedict XVI and all his collaborators who helped to push through this Decree, despite, for instance, a media uproar orchestrated and timed to prevent it.I wonder if it ever does occur to His Excellency in the wee small hours that he might be just an incy-wincy little bit to blame for the "media uproar"?
This has been a painful time for the SSPX and for all those who wish them well. Bishop Fellay has acted decisively, and in exactly the way that we have all been hoping for. May God speed all that remains to be done on the journey to full regularisation of the Fraternity.
5 comments:
Great! Long overdue perhaps, but still wonderful news!
It wasn't "in the meantime" that Bishop Williamson wrote about the "re-incommunication". That Dinoscopus post pre-dates Bishop Fellay's statement.
It is the Bishop's timing that is really the question. One wonders why the Pope did not simply separate out this particular man from the group clemency which was not owed in justice but given in mercy.... since his views were known for some time.
I think it behooves us all, especially we ground troops, to do what we can within our own limited means, to heal the wounds between the SSPX and the rest of the Catholic Church. Let us start by having no more rancour between traditionalists of different stripes. Let us try and allay suspicions that have justly or unjustly grown up over the last 20 years and let us forgive especially what we perceive as unjust offences given against us. Let us be generous in making allowances for those in the traditionalist camp whose perspective on the Society's position may differ from ours. Let us, above all, by the example of our lives, show to all those who are not traditionalists that the true Mass and the orthodox teaching of the Church yield fruit. We have been inward turning for too long. Let us be missionaries again.
By way of contrast, have a look at Bishop O'Donoghue's speech to the Oxford Newman Society tonight (link on my blog). Here is a bishop speaking with passion - and with a truly Catholic outlook!
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