Cardinal Schönborn on Williamson: Obviously a mistake has been made here.
The following article published in German on Kath.Net (link above) reports on a television interview given by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna. The translation is by an unidentified blogger and has been slightly refined. A video of the German-language televison interview is available HERE.
Someone who denies the Holocaust, denies the Shoah, cannot be restored to an office in the Church .
Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn on Thursday evening on the ORF broadcast ZIB 2, in connection with the lifting of the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of St Pius X, criticised Vatican colleagues and the information policy at the Vatican. Schönborn said that in connection with the lifting of the excommunication two things must be distinguished, namely the "intention of the pope" and the "information policy of the Vatican."
To quote directly, the Cardinal said: "The intention of the Pope is clear. He wants a reconciliation with this group, which 20 years ago separated from the Catholic Church and been living in a schism. What he has done was simply an outstretched hand. Whether this hand will be taken or not, time will tell. "
Schönborn then criticized the Vatican's information policy and said further: "The four bishops have not been rehabilitated. It was a unilateral gesture of reconciliation to lift the excommunication. But they are not yet in office and dignity. They must now show whether they are ready to take the outstretched hand of the Pope. The messages, which have been sent so far, are insufficient. For as long as these four bishops do not entirely clearly recognise the Second Vatican Council, it is certainly not full reconciliation. "
On the controversial Bishop Richard Williamson and his statements about the Holocaust, the Cardinal then said : "Obviously a mistake has been made here. Someone, who denies the Holocaust, denies the Shoah, cannot be restored to an office in the Church Here there must be also a certain criticism of the Vatican's criticism of staff practice, which is obviously did not examine the matter carefully or did not examine sufficiently the information about the case that they had."