Radio Vatican criticises the Roman Curia
in the Weekly Commentary of their German service
I now ask all those who appreciate Pope Benedict to have confidence that I have the same high respect for him, his office and his church, when I put the work of some people in the Vatican under the microscope. I do not do this to soil my own nest, but because millions of decent people have serious questions of Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church. My criticism is an expression of appreciation of the Pope, the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
And now I want to say:
The Vatican in the last few days went wrong. Why could a spokesman not explain?: We have made some mistakes. There is something wrong.
That the Pope was concerned about the unity of the church is a cause for happiness. The fact that some confused the lifting of excommunication with a complete rehabilitation can surprise or anger. The fact that an illicit Bishop to whom the Pope had made concessions was outed as a Holocaust denier and made himself beyond the pale of society – that can seem only fatal. Especially, as one can suspect still quite different depths of reaction in the separated Society of St Pius X.
Clearly said: This concurrence of the lifting the excommunication and the Holocaust-denial by Bishop Williamson was fatal. Simply fatal. Afterwards, the Vatican again patches things up and limita damage – just as they did after the Regensburg speech. There is a really important requirement - namely to preserve the unity of the Church – which had unprofessionally been thrown into the works. It is not just the "evil media", who staged a Bishop Williamson scandal to harm the reputation of the Pope. Even in the Vatican errors in this matter have been made.
Benedict XVI on Wednesday did the right thing when he did not point the finger at others, but (not for the first time) clearly rejected any denial of the Holocaust. Whoever knows the Pope knows how much the relationship to Judaism lies close to his heart. Unfortunately, you sometimes have the impression that in the Vatican there are also people who pursue their own agenda - and thereby run the risk of serious damage to the reputation of the Catholic Church and the Catholic-Jewish relationship.
Already, according newspaper leaks a Vatican cardinal has accused another that the lifting of the excommunication was hastily and carelessly pushed through. It would not be the first reference to "sloppiness" with serious consequences in the Vatican. Benedict XVI invites the Cardinals repeatedly to loyally cooperate in the governance of the church – one must judge the Roman curia against this requirement.
With these words, I want to show that the Pope was not to blame for what scandalised people all around the world, but unfortunately people in the Vatican for their unprofessional or stubborn way of working.
See also Cardinal Re furious with Cardinal Hoyos
I now ask all those who appreciate Pope Benedict to have confidence that I have the same high respect for him, his office and his church, when I put the work of some people in the Vatican under the microscope. I do not do this to soil my own nest, but because millions of decent people have serious questions of Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church. My criticism is an expression of appreciation of the Pope, the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
And now I want to say:
The Vatican in the last few days went wrong. Why could a spokesman not explain?: We have made some mistakes. There is something wrong.
That the Pope was concerned about the unity of the church is a cause for happiness. The fact that some confused the lifting of excommunication with a complete rehabilitation can surprise or anger. The fact that an illicit Bishop to whom the Pope had made concessions was outed as a Holocaust denier and made himself beyond the pale of society – that can seem only fatal. Especially, as one can suspect still quite different depths of reaction in the separated Society of St Pius X.
Clearly said: This concurrence of the lifting the excommunication and the Holocaust-denial by Bishop Williamson was fatal. Simply fatal. Afterwards, the Vatican again patches things up and limita damage – just as they did after the Regensburg speech. There is a really important requirement - namely to preserve the unity of the Church – which had unprofessionally been thrown into the works. It is not just the "evil media", who staged a Bishop Williamson scandal to harm the reputation of the Pope. Even in the Vatican errors in this matter have been made.
Benedict XVI on Wednesday did the right thing when he did not point the finger at others, but (not for the first time) clearly rejected any denial of the Holocaust. Whoever knows the Pope knows how much the relationship to Judaism lies close to his heart. Unfortunately, you sometimes have the impression that in the Vatican there are also people who pursue their own agenda - and thereby run the risk of serious damage to the reputation of the Catholic Church and the Catholic-Jewish relationship.
Already, according newspaper leaks a Vatican cardinal has accused another that the lifting of the excommunication was hastily and carelessly pushed through. It would not be the first reference to "sloppiness" with serious consequences in the Vatican. Benedict XVI invites the Cardinals repeatedly to loyally cooperate in the governance of the church – one must judge the Roman curia against this requirement.
With these words, I want to show that the Pope was not to blame for what scandalised people all around the world, but unfortunately people in the Vatican for their unprofessional or stubborn way of working.
See also Cardinal Re furious with Cardinal Hoyos
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