http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/07/germany.bishop/index.html

 

How can someone reasonably deny that the Holocaust never occurred?

How can someone reasonably deny that the Holocaust never occurred?

That's a good question.

 

I have been following this situation for a few weeks now...

I am so far beyond sick of this story. Him being an idiot and denying the Holocaust has nothing to do with why he was excommuinicated in the first place and has nothing to do with why the excommunication was lifted. He and other members of the SSPX rejected papal authority (in clear contradiction to Church teaching), the issue of having a moronic opinion on one of the most heinous crimes in human history is not relevant to the reinstatement portion of the discussion.

 

Parts of the German bishops' anger probably stems from the fact that Europe has pathetic speech protection laws and it's actually a crime to deny that the Holocaust happened in Germany. But Europe's horrible record for protecting free speech is a discussion for another thread.

Him being an idiot and denying the Holocaust has nothing to do with why he was excommuinicated in the first place and has nothing to do with why the excommunication was lifted. He and other members of the SSPX rejected papal authority (in clear contradiction to Church teaching)

That's a good point- to people who know the situation, it is obvious, but I do hope that everyone realizes that the excommunication had nothing to do with Holocaust denial...

That's a good point- to people who know the situation, it is obvious, but I do hope that everyone realizes that the excommunication had nothing to do with Holocaust denial...

 

Not an expert on Catholicism but from what I understand they refused to practice the "New Mass" saying that the Vatican took "modernization" to far and that the practice now resembles something to close to Protestant Communion.

 

And Archbishop Lefebvre definitely agreed with them when he wrote:

 

The Novus Ordo Missae, even when said with piety and respect for the liturgical rules, ...is impregnated with the spirit of Protestantism. It bears within it a poison harmful to the faith (An Open Letter to Confused Catholics, p. 29 [APPENDIX II])

 

The Society of St. Pius the X Website: http://sspx.org/index.htm

Not an expert on Catholicism but from what I understand they refused to practice the "New Mass" saying that the Vatican took "modernization" to far and that the practice now resembles something to close to Protestant Communion.

 

And Archbishop Lefebvre definitely agreed with them when he wrote:

 

The Novus Ordo Missae, even when said with piety and respect for the liturgical rules, ...is impregnated with the spirit of Protestantism. It bears within it a poison harmful to the faith (An Open Letter to Confused Catholics, p. 29 [APPENDIX II])

 

The Society of St. Pius the X Website: http://sspx.org/index.htm

 

Wow, the bolded really sounds bad. We must be some really bad people. The rest of the paragraph I have no clue what it says.

Not an expert on Catholicism but from what I understand they refused to practice the "New Mass" saying that the Vatican took "modernization" to far and that the practice now resembles something to close to Protestant Communion.

 

And Archbishop Lefebvre definitely agreed with them when he wrote:

 

The Novus Ordo Missae, even when said with piety and respect for the liturgical rules, ...is impregnated with the spirit of Protestantism. It bears within it a poison harmful to the faith (An Open Letter to Confused Catholics, p. 29 [APPENDIX II])

 

The Society of St. Pius the X Website: http://sspx.org/index.htm

Correct. There two chief complaints were that they could not say the old mass and the excommunication. And Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have made an effort to reconcile with them. JPII allowed priests to say the old mass if they wished with permission from their bishop, and Benedict extended that so now any priest can say any mass. Now that Benedict has lifted the excommunications (as an act of mercy) we hope that they will come back to the Church.

Wow, the bolded really sounds bad. We must be some really bad people.

Keep in mind that Lefebvre is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and members of the Society of Saint Piux X are not Catholics- they refuse papal authority.

Keep in mind that Lefebvre is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and members of the Society of Saint Piux X are not Catholics- they refuse papal authority.

 

So, they are more like Protestants not accepting papal authority than they are Catholics and are against their masses having a Protestant tone?????:confused:

So, they are more like Protestants not accepting papal authority than they are Catholics and are against their masses having a Protestant tone?????:confused:

 

:lol: It is confusing. I'm just hoping to clarify to you that we Catholics do not agree with the excommuniated archbishop.

What about the denial of the Holocaust? How can someone rationally do this?

Keep in mind that Lefebvre is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and members of the Society of Saint Piux X are not Catholics- they refuse papal authority.

 

I am not so sure of this, they seem to feel (and state loudly) that they are the true Catholics!

What about the denial of the Holocaust? How can someone rationally do this?

Take it for what it is worth- his quote:

 

I believe there were no gas chambers ... I think that two to three hundred thousand Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps ... but none of them by gas chambers.

I am not so sure of this, they seem to feel (and state loudly) that they are the true Catholics!

 

Yes, they say that, but they aren't.

What about the denial of the Holocaust? How can someone rationally do this?

 

What's suprising? People believe all kinds of dumb stuff.