I approve of the latest message from the NDP:
The New Democratic Party are calling on Canadian Parliamentarians to speak out against the Vatican’s decision to welcome holocaust denier Richard Williamson into the fold.
“By rehabilitating Williamson, the Church has shown a stunning indifference to the international fight against neo-Nazi extremism,” declared MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) in the House today.
During the prorogation it seemed the NDP was unwilling to speak out on some atrocities that were occurring. Perhaps they wanted to go a bit more moderate to appeal to Liberal supporters in case of a coalition government.
With that prospect utterly dead, its good to see some anger in the NDPs speeches.
And there’s no better target than organized religion.
On the actual issue at hand, when you have Catholic theologians calling on the pope to step down, you know he’s done something wrong. Williamson seems like quite the crackpot, with views about Jews, 9/11, the Kennedy Assassination, and women’s place in society. Not the kind of person you want in a normal organization (but we are talking about the Catholic church here).
So good on the NDP for speaking out about what’s obviously absurd, I look forward to more of this.
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Personally I don’t think it has anything to do with the coalition. I like that they stand up to bigots, oppressors, and racists.
Perhaps, it’d still be nice if they acknowledged the atrocities going on in Palestine at the Israeli hands.
Please, more of this. Louder.
Agree with Ian about the silence re Gaza. The NDP were conspicuous by their absence on this issue. The other parties, well, we know what to expect from them – exactly what they delivered.
I think you need to reconsider what has really happened with Bishop Williamson. The mere lifting of an excommunication does not rehabilitate anyone. All four bishops remain under suspension and are not in the good graces of the Church. Williamson’s superior (Bishop Fellay) has ordered him not to discuss the subject of the holocaust anymore, and Fellay apologized for what Williamson said. The Vatican’s clarification on the subject is worth reading: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=93356
And: http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=93355
It’s nice that his higher ups are apologizing for him – why can’t he apologize for himself if he doesn’t actually hold those views anymore?
Lifting the excommunication of Bishop Williamson is a recognition that he is not guilty of heresy.
That doesn’t make him any less of a liar. The church condemns his statements about the holocaust and openly states they are wrong, but being a liar doesn’t make you a heretic.