Bishop Williamson apologizes for Holocaust denial

Bishop Williamson continued, "Observing these consequences I can truthfully say that I regret having made such remarks, and that if I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the Church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich, I would not have made them."
Read the entire story on Zenit.com
For in-depth discussion of the SSPX situation, read my friend Pascendi's blog Fatima Now.

"Catholic" Congressmen; mind your own business!

To all the CINO Catholic in Name Only Congressmen who send this letter to Pope Benedict telling him how to do his God-given job, mind your own business.
Here's the letter:
January 29, 2009
His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI Apostolic Palace 00120, Vatican City State, Europe
Your Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,
As Catholic Members of Congress, we are writing to express our deep concerns with your decision to reinstate Bishop Richard Williamson to communion with the Catholic Church at the same time that Bishop Williamson publicly denies that the Holocaust occurred or that such was the policy under Adolf Hitler. We do not question your reasons for revoking the excommunication of Bishop Williamson or your right to do so, but we fail to understand why the revocation was not accompanied by an emphatic public rejection of his denial of the Holocaust. As such, we seek clarification on this important matter.
Bishop Williamson has said as recently as this past November that, “historical evidence is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy by Adolf Hitler.” Yet, the Holocaust is a verifiable fact and as people of good will would agree, one of the darkest chapters in our history as a human family. There are still thousands of people amongst us – Jews and non-Jews – who can attest through eye-witness accounts to the horrors of the Holocaust. Bishop Williamson’s comments regarding the Holocaust echo those of neo-Nazis, Islamist extremists, racists and others who choose hatred and violence over peaceful co-existence among peoples of all races and ethnicities.
We understand that Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi has said that this issue is unrelated to the reinstatement of Bishop Williamson and that you do not share in his views. And we welcome your recent statement expressing "full and indisputable solidarity" with the Jewish people. But this is too sensitive an issue to be handled without a direct repudiation of Bishop Williamson’s views. As a spiritual leader and the head of the Catholic Church, we believe it is vital that you publicly state your unequivocal position on this matter so that it is clear where the Church stands on one of the most consequential events of the 20th century. To neglect to do so is to allow others to portray it as they wish and impede the progress made over so many years toward harmony and reconciliation.
Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully,
ROSA L. DeLAURO, WILLIAM DELAHUNT, ANNA ESHOO, JAMES L. OBERSTAR , BART STUPAK, BILL PASCRELL, CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, GERALD E. CONNOLLY, MAURICE D. HINCHEY, JIM COSTA, PHIL HARE, JOSEPH CROWLEY, PETER DEFAZIO PATRICK J. KENNEDY, DENNIS J. KUCINICH, JAMES P. MORAN, WM. LACY CLAY RICHARD E. NEAL, ALBIO SIRES, PETER WELCH , TIM RYAN, TOM PERRIELLO , LINDA SÁNCHEZ, LUIS V. GUTIERREZ , CAROL SHEA-PORTER, MICHAEL F. DOYLE, DENNIS A. CARDOZA, JOHN LARSON XAVIER BECERRA, GEORGE MILLER , FRANK PALLONE BETTY McCOLLUM, JAMES A. McGOVERN, JACKIE SPEIER, CAROLYN McCARTHY EDWARD J. MARKEY, NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, STEPHEN F. LYNCH, JOSE E. SERRAMO SILVESTRE REYES, RAUL GRIJALVA, JOE BACA, BRIAN HIGGINS, MIKE THOMPSON
JERRY F. COSTELLO, DIANE WATSON, JOHN A BOCCIERI
Catholic Congressmen: your business is to
1. Keep contraceptives OUT of the bailout package. How many of you voted with the Republicans to do this?
2. Support Rep Chris Smith's efforts to keep the Mexico City Policy so our precious tax dollars won't go to horrendous abortion programs overseas (like the coercive abortions in China's one-child policy) Here is a list of the other Catholic Democrats who voted not to restore the Mexico City Policy: Gillibrand (NY); Reed (RI); Leahy (VT); Cantwell (WA); Menendez (NJ); Murray (WV); Begich (AL); Dodd (CT); Landrieu (LA); Harkin (IA); Kerry (MA); McCaskill (MO); Mikulski (MD); Durbin (IL) and Kaufman (DE).
Here is a list of the total contributions from the abotion lobby made to the senators who voted against the bill to restore the Mexico City Policy.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who assumed office only in January 2007, has accepted $986,619 from the pro-abortion lobby. (Source: Inside Catholic.com)
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has received $205,768
“Pro-life" Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA), $327,914.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), $1,043,301
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), $17,400
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), $303,014
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), $44,585
Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT), $31,235
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), $326,996
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), $191,057
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), $367,491
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), $77,216
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), $24,435
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), $244,36

3. De-fund the world's biggest abortion profiteer, Planned Parenthood. I didn't hear Obama complaining about the millions in profit which this mega business brings in. With 30% of it's revenue coming from the taxpayers. And thousand of lives ended and women wounded.
4. Pass a Constitutional Amendment stating that unborn babies are persons deserving civil rights. You did it for blacks and women, now let's finish this injustice in America. This will automatically make abortion the civil rights violation that it is.
5. Pass a Constitutional Amendment stating that marriage is between one man and one woman. Another no-brainer,you should remember from your catechism.
6.Ban pornography from the internet where it destroys families.
7. Enforce FCC decency standards on TV and Radio.
8. Let children have vouchers to escape failing public schools and attend the private schools of their parent's choice, like the Obama children do.
9. Stop no-fault divorce from ruining marriages in this nation
10. Or to sum up, just start voting as if you were Catholics in a state of grace instead of in mortal sin which endangers your immortal salvation. You are dancing on a tightrope over the yawning pit of Hell the way you vote, and talk, and live. You cause scandal when you receive the Most Holy Eucharist unworthily, yes Senator Biden, Rep Nancy Pelosi, and Tim Bishop. You confuse the faithful and eat and drink your own damnation.(paraphrase of St Paul) You are in no position to preach at the Holy Father. You are only lucky he is a loving and gentle Holy Father and doesn't give you the public dressing down that you are so richly deserve! He's trusting his bishops in the US to do that. Ahem. . .

Now, when you have accomplished these vital tasks, putting the Culture of Death at bay, you may have the right to tell the Holy Father how to handle irascible old Bishop Williamson. I'm sure that Pope Benedict has dealt with Holocaust deniers before. After all, he is German.
After all, he met with all of you last April, the Catholic legislators who are in denial about the Holocaust under their own noses, the over one million and a half babies murdered in the womb in America each year.
Maybe the Holy Father can sit you down, with Bishop Williamson and watch two films. "Holocaust" and "Dura Realidad" (The Hard Truth). As Lila Rose of Live Action Films says, each time civil rights have been violated, it took graphic images of torture and death to wake up the public.
Catholic Congressmen and Bishop Williamson both need to wake up to injustices.

Time to pray for SSPX

Bishop Fellay the superior of SSPX asked for the excommunication of his society to be removed and for Sumorum Pontificum, or the allowing of the Tridentine Mass without requiring the bishop's approval. Now, in return, Pope Benedict is asking that Vatican II be accepted by the Society. This is a big sticking point. We need to pray. Read about it at Catholic News Service.

I am no fan of Vatican II but the more I learn about it, the more I realize how the disastrous implementation of the "Spirit of Vatican II" had NOTHING to do with the Council's intentions.

I was enlightened by Anne Roche Muggeridge's (daughter of British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge)book "The Desolate City" which explained the intentions of the Council was NOT to abolish the Latin Mass, just include more of the vernacular, but the liberals who had been waiting for a chance to destroy the Church seized the opportunity, and ran roughshod over poor ailing Pope Paul VI who declared, "The smoke of Satan has entered the Church". He did have the strength to write the prophetic "Humanae Vitae" but by then the inmates were in charge of the asylum and it was roundly rejected. No wonder that those who knew him in the Vatican called him, "Paolo Sesto, mesto" (Paul the Sixth, the sad).
You know, maybe this is the year of St Paul for a reason other than the 2,000th anniversary of his conversion to Christianity. Maybe Pope Paul is in there too.

Reconciliation with Society of St. Pius X?

Alleluia!

This is something readers know I have had in my prayer intentions. I have many good friends in the SSPX. Here we are in St Michael the Archangel Chapel in Farmingville, NY. We had a homeschool co-op with our friends at SSPX for three years.

Here's a great explanation from Jeff Mirus at Catholic Culture:

A web service from Trinity Communications. The news dominating the Church right now is Benedict XVI's lifting of the excommunication of the Traditionalist leaders of the Society of St. Pius X. The Holy Father made this significant gesture in the hope that full communion would soon follow. Here are the documents you need to understand what this does and does not mean:
Catholic World News: Vatican decree lifts excommunication of SSPX bishops
The Decree Itself: Congregation of Bishops Document Repealing Excommunications of SSPX
Response of SSPX: Letter of the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X
Pre-Analysis by Phil Lawler: Bishop Williamson, making trouble again
Post-Analysis by Jeff Mirus: Lifting of Excommunication: Mixed Feelings
Pope Benedict also stressed Christian unity during this past week, which is not insignificant since the SSPX has grave reservations about ecumenism. Future talks may clarify whether these reservations concern doctrine or only abuses. In any case, Benedict has made some important points in his talks On Seeking Christian Unity and Prayer for Unity and Reconciliation among Christians.Also of note is the Church's increasingly aggressive use of the Internet as a tool for evangelization.

Thus the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has made a wealth of documents on Catholic social teaching available on a new web site: The Social Agenda. And the Holy See has even opened up a major channel on YouTube: The Vatican on YouTube.

Positive news on SSPX reunion with Rome?

From the blog of Andrea Tornielli (Vatican correspondent for Il Giornale):
I have learned from secure sources that, contrary to what has appeared in certain articles, the response of the Fraternity [of Saint Pius X - FSSPX/SSPX] to the letter of Cardinal Castrillón has not in fact been negative. The Cardinal is satisfied with it, has responded to Fellay, and has promptly delivered the letter of the Fraternity to Benedict XVI. After the deadline of the end of June, the Lefebvrists [sic] ask for time but - it seems - they will aim to respect the five points.
HT Barbara Kralis

Small tradtional religious order rejoins Rome

I pray that this is just the first part of a wave of reconciliations. Their superior said,
" Our community now truly rejoices in undisputed and peaceful posession of Communion with the Holy See because our priests are now in canonical good standing.We are very grateful to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for issuing, last July, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which called us to come into undisputed and peaceful Communion with him."
It's evidence of Pope Benedict's tireless work. I once heard a traditional minded priest say, "If anyone can bring SSPX back, it'll be Pope Benedict, he speaks their language. " Keep praying, there are souls at stake.
HT St. Louis Catholic

All is not lost for SSPX

You can always count on Fr. Zuhlsdorf for the inside scoop, and he has some valuable information that a reconiciliation with the Society of St. Pius X is not out of the picture yet. Keep the prayers coming.

Did SSPX accept the Vatican's conditions?

Weeell. . . not exactly, but Bishop Fellay left the door open. There's still hope for a reconciliation with Rome. I'll let Fr. Z explain this one, I'm out of my depth. . .

Bishop Fellay, leader of Society of St. Pius X optimistic about reunion with Rome

According to my sources, the SSPX the religious order founded by the late Archbishop Marcel LeFevre, who refused to adopt the Novus Ordo Mass, had outlined the steps for reconciliation with Rome as threefold.
1. Show good faith by declaring that the Traditional Mass was never done away with, and has always been valid, by granting permission for any priest to say it. Done 7/7/2007
2. Clarify and reaffirm the Church's teaching of "no salvation outside the Catholic Church". Done 7/10/2007
3. Lift the excommunication of Archbishop LeFevre, which the Holy Father as Head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith imposed in 1988, at the behest of Pope John Paul II. Coming soon?

According to Bishop Fellay, there has been 'a great leap forward' in negotiations about the 1 million member congregation's return to full communion with Rome, refering to steps one and two.
"Bishop Fellay indicated some optimism about the prospects for another conciliatory move by the Vatican: the lifting of a decree of excommunications levied against the bishops of the SSPX, who were ordained by the late Archbishop Lefebvre without the required approval from Rome. The SSPX has listed the removal of the excommunciation decree, along with universal approval of the Latin Mass, as a condition for reconciliation with the Holy See. Bishop Fellay said that officials in Rome have told him that the effort to lift the excommunications would now be "less difficult than the motu proprio."

This is great news for me, who has many friends who, when frustrated by the bishop's location of the Indult Mass, and refusal to grant an Traditional Mass for the funeral of a diocesan priest, joined the Society a few years ago. We conduct a homeschool Co-op of classes in their chapel, which is only 20 minutes from my home, when no parish on Long Island would give us space, but I explained to the affable pastor, that I could not join the chapel for Sunday Mass until they 'signed with Rome'.
A very dear friend of mine, Mary, died a painful death from breast cancer, while offering up her suffering for this reconciliation. She would smile when she had a painful procedure scheduled, and say, "Letcia, they're going to make progress this week, I got a lot of suffering ahead of me!" Please pray that the Society who treasures the beautiful Tridentine Mass, rejoins fully with Rome, and share this with us. Then, I can attend Mass every Sunday, near home, in a chapel which needs no conversion.
Catholic World News

Society of St. Pius X not yet ready to reconcile with Rome

'In a statement July 7, excommunicated Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Swiss-based society, said the papal decision had created a "favorable climate" to consider the doctrinal issues more calmly.'
"The Society of St. Pius X rejoices to see the church thus regain her liturgical tradition and give the possibility of a free access to the treasure of the traditional Mass for the glory of God, the good of the church and the salvation of souls, to the priests and faithful who had so far been deprived of it," the statement said.
The society expressed "its deep gratitude to the sovereign pontiff for this great spiritual benefit."The statement went on to say that the Vatican should withdraw excommunication decrees against the society's leadership to allow further progress in their dialogue.'
Catholic News Service