(28 Jan 09 -RV) The President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,
Cardinal Walter Kasper, met with Phillippa Hitchen to talk about the Pope’s Angelus.
Many
Jewish groups had been upset by the lifting of the excommunications on the bishops
of the Society of St. Pius X because one of their bishops, Bishop Richard Williamson,
denied the full extent of the Holocaust. The head of the society later distanced
himself from Williamson’s remarks.
Cardinal Kasper told Phillippa the lifting
of the excommunications is a separate matter, and should not affect Jewish-Catholic
relations:
“We have to
distinguish between two aspects of the whole thing; the one aspect is the lifting
of the excommunication of the four bishops from the Society of the Fraternity of St
Pius X. This does not mean that we are already in full communion with them, it’s
the first step to remove the juridical and psychological obstacles to dialogue with
them on several points. This will not be an easy dialogue but we are willing to go
on. Our office is in favour of the unity of the Church and therefore also in favour
of unity with this association. And it was a very sad and unfortunate coincidence
this interview with Bishop Williamson. The Catholic Church of course does not agree
with his statements. We can only distance ourselves from this statement and the society
[of Pius X] has also distanced itself from this statement. So we have to distinguish
the two things and not mix them up. My vision, my hope is that also our Jewish partners
will understand that this is an unfortunate coincidence of two things that have absolutely
nothing to do with each other whatsoever. And [our dialogue] should go on in the
best interests of both sides”.