People who believe in intellectual and religious freedom have a lot of explaining to do as to how they can justify the crusade against Bishop Williamson. What are they going to do next? Water-board him? Put him on the rack?
I have a hard time feeling sympathy for him. He doesn’t seem to have any empathy for the victims of the Holocaust and their relatives to whom his comments have caused pain (and, understandably, rage).
Also, shouldn’t people be held accountable for what they say? No one forced him to make the interview or to make the comments he made.
As I said before, he has a right to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. The Holocaust is a matter of historical fact.
I disapproved of the media frenzy that erupted after the excommunications were lifted, because it seemed driven by a misunderstanding of what the de-excommunications meant, as well as a desire to assume the worst about the Vatican and Pope Benedict. But that doesn’t mean that I condone Bishop Williamson’s comments. I think they were irresponsible and mean-spirited.
Any reasonable person can see how absurd and self-defeating the attacks on the bishop have been. If his views are so absurd, why don’t people just ignore him, like you would a crazy preacher on the street?
I think it’s because his comments are an assault on the truth.
Instead, Jewish groups launch a massive assault, not just against the bishop, but against the Catholic Church, thereby provoking defensive reactions and leading more people to question the Holocaust. It’s difficult to imagine a more foolish strategy.
Really? If that’s so, it’s bizarre. So if I’m offended by something Ward Churchill says, I can revise the history of the Trail of Tears? This just sounds like so much tit-for-tat identity politics.
