IN A HIGHLY unusual, almost apologetic “Letter To The Bishops”, released in the Vatican yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI has offered a lengthy explanation as to why he chose in January to lift the 1988 excommunication of four bishops from the Society of Saint Pius X, the ultra-traditionalist Catholic group founded by French Bishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970.
That decision prompted a huge international controversy, even at one stage jeopardising relations between the Catholic Church and Jews, when it emerged that one of the four bishops, Richard Williamson, was a well known Holocaust denier.
The pope describes the “Williamson case” as an “unforeseen mishap” which overlapped with the lifting of the excommunication.
“The discreet gesture of mercy towards four bishops ordained validly but not legitimately suddenly appeared as something completely different: as the repudiation of reconciliation between Christians and Jews,” writes the pope.
In a clear expression of regret, the pope admits that “consulting the information available on the internet” would have helped “perceive the problem early on” while he promises that in future the Holy See will “pay greater attention to that source of news”.
While he admits to having been saddened by the manner in which he himself was attacked with “open hostility” by Catholics in relation to the Williamson affair, the pope also thanks “our Jewish friends, who quickly helped clear up the misunderstanding” in the process restoring an “atmosphere of trust and friendship” between Catholics and Jews.
Pope Benedict also admits that the Holy See made a “mistake” by not “clearly and adequately” explaining the terms of the January 21st provision which lifted the excommunications.
In essence, the pope is keen to point out that the gesture of clemency towards the Lefebrite bishops is not a blanket pardon but rather part of an ongoing process aimed at their reintegration into the Catholic Church.
“Until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the society [of Saint Pius X] has no canonical status in the church and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty [excommunication] – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the church.”
Many church commentators and critics alike questioned the wisdom of the pope’s January decision, pointing out that the church and the faithful have many more urgent priorities than the reintegration of the Society of St Pius X.
Pope Benedict concedes this willingly, pointing out that at this moment, the real priority is the fact “that God is disappearing from the human horizon”.
The pope argues, however, that he could not remain totally indifferent to the fate of 491 (society) priests, many of whom share “a love for Christ”.