>Something amazing and strange is happening in the Catholic Church: Catholic theologians and other leaders of the church are calling on Pope Benedict XVI to resign. One German theologian said: “If the pope wants to do some good for the Church, he should leave his job.
According to a published report, there are two reasons why some Catholics want the Pope to resign:
Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to revoke the excommunication of four bishops who were consecrated in 1988 by the rebel conservative French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, against the wishes of the Holy See at that time, has created international tumult.
But it was the Pope’s repeal of the excommunication of British Bishop Richard Williamson in particular, a rabid anti-Semite and Holocaust denier that prompted one Catholic theologian to actually call on him to step down.
This call for the Pope to resign is unprecedented and it creates a publica relation problem for the Catholic Church. Some people believe the Pope is infallible in his decisions. If the Pope is infallible in his decisions, then the repeal of the excommunications cannot be revoked since in the minds of many people, the Pope cannot say that he made a mistake. If the Pope says that he made a mistake in this decision, then people will wonder where else has the Pope been wrong.
The Pope’s repeal of the excommunication of British Bishop Richard Williamson is troubling because Williamson has declared publicly that he does not believe that Jews were murdered by Nazis in the gas chambers during the Holocaust. He has also said that “there were no gas chambers.”
People in Israel are upset with the Vatican over Williamson’s Holocaust denial. Recently, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate discontinued dialogue with the Vatican to protest the Pope’s decision to repeal Williamson’s excommunication. Oded Weiner, Rabbinate Director-General, wrote a letter to the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, in which he said: “Without an official apology and recanting, it will be difficult to continue the dialogue.”
Personally, I do not believe the Pope will resign. It seems that the more conservative Catholics support the Pope’s policies while liberal Catholics strongly disagree with some of his policies.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, Richard Williamson
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>The doctrine of infallibility applies only when a pope speaks ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals; it does not mean he cannot be “infallible in his decisions.”
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>Gail,Thank you for your correction. I am aware that the infallibility of the pope applies only when a pope speaks ex cathedra. In my post I was speaking about the popular conception of papal infallibility. I am sorry that I was not clear in what I wrote.Again, I appreciate your comment and your correction.Claude Mariottini
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>Thank you, Dr. Mariottini, for the clarification.Also, Pope Benedict XVI apparently was unaware that Bp. Williamson is a Holocaust denier when he lifed the excommunication. The Vatican has now (Feb 4, 2009) called for Williamson to recant his statements about the Holocaust if he is to serve as a bishop in the Church.
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>I don’t understand the part about excommunication. Are there some who want Holocaust-deniers to be kicked out of the church? Holocaust-denial is wrong from a historical perspective, but should that get a person excommunicated?
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>James,Bishop Williamson was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church in 1988 because of his unauthorized consecration by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. If I am correct, the excommunication was lifted by the Pope in January 2009.Those who are interested in reading more about this controversy, should read the article that appeared in The New York Times.Claude Mariottini
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>Gail,Thank you again for the additional information.Claude Mariottini
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>For those interested:VATICAN CITY, 5 FEB 2009 (VIS) – The Secretariat of State of the Holy See, published the following note yesterday afternoon: “In the wake of reactions provoked by the recent Decree from the Congregation for Bishops lifting the excommunication on the four prelates of the Society of St. Pius X, and with reference to declarations denying and reducing the Shoah pronounced by Bishop Williamson, a member of that society, it is felt appropriate to clarify certain aspects of the issue: 1. Remission of the excommunication “As has previously been explained, the Decree from the Congregation for Bishops, dated 21 January 2009, was an act by which the Holy Father benignly responded to repeated requests from the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X. “His Holiness wished to remove an impediment that hindered the opening of a door to dialogue, and he now awaits a similar readiness to be expressed by the four bishops, in complete adherence to the doctrine and discipline of the Church. “The extremely serious penalty of excommunication ‘latae sententiae’, which these bishops incurred on 30 June 1988, formally announced on 1 July of the same year, was a consequence of their illegitimate ordination by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. “The remission of the excommunication has freed the four bishops from a serious canonical penalty, but it has not altered the juridical position of the Society of St. Pius X which, at the present time, enjoys no canonical recognition within the Catholic Church. Even the four bishops, though released from excommunication, have no canonical function in the Church and cannot legally exercise a ministry within her”. 2. Tradition, doctrine and Vatican Council II “An indispensable condition for any future recognition of the Society of St. Pius X is their full recognition of Vatican Council II and of the Magisterium of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. “As already affirmed in the Decree of 21 January 2009, the Holy See will not fail, in ways considered most appropriate, to join the parties concerned in a profound examination of outstanding issues, so as to be able to reach a full and satisfactory solution to the problems that gave rise to this painful split”. 3. Declarations concerning the Shoah “Msgr. Williamson’s views on the Shoah are absolutely unacceptable, and firmly rejected by the Holy Father as he himself said on 28 January when, referring to that brutal genocide, he reiterated his complete and indisputable solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters who received the First Covenant, affirming that the memory of that terrible event must ‘induce humankind to reflect upon the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of man’, adding that the Shoah remains ‘an admonition for everyone against oblivion, negation and reductionism, because violence against a single human being is violence against all’. “In order to be readmitted to episcopal functions within the Church, Bishop Williamson must absolutely, unequivocally and publicly distance himself from his views concerning the Shoah, which were unknown to the Holy Father at the moment he lifted the excommunication. “The Holy Father asks all the faithful to accompany him in prayer, that the Lord may illuminate the path of the Church. May all pastors and faithful increase their commitment in support of the delicate and onerous mission of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the ‘custodian of unity’ within the Church”.Pax,John
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>Dear Friend,Thank you for this information. I have posted this notice from the Vatican on my blog.Claude Mariottini
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>No disrespect intended but it also might help if you were to read more on the history of the Papacy. The idea that “This call for the Pope to resign is unprecedented” is absurd. Just check out some of the political events surrounding the Renaissance popes. I’m a loyal Catholic. I love the Church, but I also believe in historical accuracy. Trust me, we have been through much more contentious times.
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>Dear Maureen,Thank you for your comment. I was not offended by what you wrote. I am aware of the history of the church and the many conflicts surrounding the papacy.In my post, I was trying not to be combative or offensive with my remarks since I have many readers who are loyal Catholics as you are.What is happening in the Catholic Church today is unprecedented in the sense that we have not heard a call for a pope to resign in many years.Since you raise the historical context of the history of the papacy, maybe the use of the word “unprecedented” was a poor choice in this context.Thank you for your comment and feel free to write and disagree with me.Claude Mariottini
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