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

 

Yes they do. But if I put a crown on my head and proclaim myself the King of America, it doesn't really make it so, does it?

 

The Society had some legitimate complaints about the state of Catholic liturgy following the Second Vatican Council. Having those complaints is not what got them excommunicated. Believing that the Catholic Church should abandon the Novus Ordo Mass is NOT, in itself, heretical. What got these men excommunicated was that Archbishop Lefebvre basically held himself out as a "shadow pope" (for lack of a better term or explanation) and consecrated these men as bishops despite Rome's insistence that they not do it. Thus they became schismatics.

 

Pope Benedict's continued attention to reconciling those that favor the Mass of St. Gregory with proponents of the Novus Ordo is one of my favorite things about him.

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

 

How can someone reasonably deny that the Holocaust never occurred?

 

That's the key word, reasonably. They cannot reasonably deny it so their claims have no merit with me.

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

 

I did not say that is was suprising. I asked how someone could rationally do so.

I did not say that is was suprising. I asked how someone could rationally do so.

 

Sorry. Well then, Mountain Thunder said it best... there is no rational way to do so.

So, the current pope reversed the ex-communciation (is that the right phrase?) for an irrational man?

So, the current pope reversed the ex-communciation (is that the right phrase?) for an irrational man?

 

 

The confusion here, I think, is that people assume he (and the others) were excommunicated for their beliefs about the holocaust. In reality, neither the excommunication, nor the reversal had anything at all to do with their beliefs about the holocaust, but about their disagreement with the Church and Papal authority. This bishop's ideas about the holocaust are completely unrelated.

The confusion here, I think, is that people assume he (and the others) were excommunicated for their beliefs about the holocaust. In reality, neither the excommunication, nor the reversal had anything at all to do with their beliefs about the holocaust, but about their disagreement with the Church and Papal authority. This bishop's ideas about the holocaust are completely unrelated.

 

 

Exactly, people are just making sure that is thrown in for good measure.

The confusion here, I think, is that people assume he (and the others) were excommunicated for their beliefs about the holocaust. In reality, neither the excommunication, nor the reversal had anything at all to do with their beliefs about the holocaust, but about their disagreement with the Church and Papal authority. This bishop's ideas about the holocaust are completely unrelated.

 

I didn't make my point clear and I apologize. I certainly did not mean my last post as a jab against the Pope.

 

I think that this priest HAS to have some reason why he believes that the Holocaust never occurred. I understand this had nothing to do with his excommunication or the reversal. I am just curious to how someone that otherwise seems rational CAN disbelieve in it.

 

FWIW, I certainly have NO doubts that it did occur. I just find it intriguing that some do. My entire point in this post was not to necessarily concentration on the bishop's excommunication, but any rational reasons for believing that the Holocaust did not occur.

I didn't make my point clear and I apologize. I certainly did not mean my last post as a jab against the Pope.

 

I think that this priest HAS to have some reason why he believes that the Holocaust never occurred. I understand this had nothing to do with his excommunication or the reversal. I am just curious to how someone that otherwise seems rational CAN disbelieve in it.

 

FWIW, I certainly have NO doubts that it did occur. I just find it intriguing that some do. My entire point in this post was not to necessarily concentration on the bishop's excommunication, but any rational reasons for believing that the Holocaust did not occur.

 

 

Oh. Sorry. My answer then, is, I have no idea.

I didn't make my point clear and I apologize. I certainly did not mean my last post as a jab against the Pope.

 

I think that this priest HAS to have some reason why he believes that the Holocaust never occurred. I understand this had nothing to do with his excommunication or the reversal. I am just curious to how someone that otherwise seems rational CAN disbelieve in it.

 

FWIW, I certainly have NO doubts that it did occur. I just find it intriguing that some do. My entire point in this post was not to necessarily concentration on the bishop's excommunication, but any rational reasons for believing that the Holocaust did not occur.

I hope I don't come across as defending his thoughts, but his quote from above indicates that he does think that two or three hundred thousands Jews were killed in Nazi concentration camp. I'm not sure if that technically makes him a Holocaust denier. Basically, Holocaust "deniers" think that the Jews have blown the entire thing out of proportion to gain favoritism from everyone else. So they aren't denying it happening, they are denying the magnitude of it.

I didn't make my point clear and I apologize. I certainly did not mean my last post as a jab against the Pope.

 

I think that this priest HAS to have some reason why he believes that the Holocaust never occurred. I understand this had nothing to do with his excommunication or the reversal. I am just curious to how someone that otherwise seems rational CAN disbelieve in it.

 

FWIW, I certainly have NO doubts that it did occur. I just find it intriguing that some do. My entire point in this post was not to necessarily concentration on the bishop's excommunication, but any rational reasons for believing that the Holocaust did not occur.

 

The Wikipedia article on the subject is a good start.

 

Holocaust Denial

 

There is, to my mind, NO WAY you can hold to any of the different brands of Holocaust denial without having some sort of inherent anti-semitism. The evidence is overwhelming and well-documented. It is born entirely out of hate, disguised as historical research. Much like the way "science" was used to prop up racial stereotypes in the first half of the 20th century.

Interesting reading so far...thanks for the link.