Get a Grip

The firestorm over the Pope's decision to lift the excommunication of SSPX Bishop Richard Williamson proves once again the hypocrisy of the enemies of Catholicism, who will never allow their alleged dedication to truth and liberty to stand in the way of their implacable hatred of the Church. So at this point, maybe some statements of the obvious are in order.

1. Bishop Williamson, along with three other priests, illicitly received episcopal orders from Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988. This was a violation both of canon law and of specific directives from Rome.

2. The illicit episcopal ordination is the reason Bishop Williamson was excommunicated, along with his confreres and Archbishop Lefebvre. You can read all about it here and here.

3. The fact that Bishop Williamson holds kookburger notions about the Holocaust -- which kookburger notions Pope Benedict explicitly repudiates -- has nothing to do with why he was excommunicated.

4. The Pope's reasons for lifting the excommunications of the SSPX bishops are wholly unrelated to Bishop Williamson's nutjob Holocaust opinions.

5. In any case, having his excommunication lifted does not mean Bishop Williamson is 100% square with the Church. There is still the question of his illicit (even though valid) episcopal orders. The Holy See has announced that Bishop Williamson's ability to function as a bishop in the Church will be conditioned on his renunciation of his views on the Holocaust.

6. None of the sound and fury over Bishop Williamson's Holocaust denial has anything to do with defending or honoring the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. It has everything to do with vilifying the Church and the Pope.

7. It is exceedingly arrogant and presumptuous for people outside the Catholic Church to think that their opinions on who should and should not be restored to full communion with the Church according to her laws should carry any weight whatsoever.

So, just to recap:

-- The excommunication that was lifted was about how Bishop Williamson got to be a bishop.

-- The excommunication has nothing to do with kookburger holocaust opinions.

-- The lifting of the excommunication has nothing to do with kookburger holocaust opinions.

-- Not only does the Pope repudiate Bishop Williamson's nutty notions, but he is requiring Bishop Williamson to do the same as a condition of being allowed to function as a bishop.

-- All those who think they have a quarrel with the Pope over this need to GET A GRIP.