Few weeks ago, Pope Benedict XVI decided to reverse the excommunication that was imposed on several bishops with history of strong conservative inclinations in an attempt, as some reporters suggested, to be more inclusive of conservative groups deemed in the passed as fringe. The excommunication, to my knowledge, was not for their opinions, but rather for accepting appointments as bishops despite the objection of the Vatican at that time.The world was up in arms over the rehabilitation. All that mattered was that one of the 'rehabilitated' bishops has recently expressed 'unpopular opinions'. He actually disputes the number of Jews killed in the holocaust and denied that gas chambers were used for the killings.
"Bloody murder' shouts started coming from the important parts of the world. Israel's Chief Rabi denounced the act, and severed relations with the Vatican. The paranoid head of the anti-defamation league started foaming at the mouth and the German Chancellor demanded that the Pope correct that horrible mistake.
And despite support from some Orthodox Rabbis for the Pope on the ground that how the Catholic Church runs its business is not for non-Catholics to decide, as much as how the Rabbis run their Jewish affairs is not for Catholics to decide. In other words, let each mind their own business, and stop interfering with other people's business.
The heat was to much, so the Pope had to come out, and denounce denial of the holocaust. The recently rehabilitated bishop was ordered to recant his statements about the number of Jews killed by hitler. I really do not care how this farce ends, but what the Pope said had to catch my attention. And as reported by the Huffington Post:
'Pope Benedict XVI, faced with an uproar over the bishop, said Wednesday he feels "full and indisputable solidarity" with Jews...' (Click here for full article)
I cannot claim to understand the status of the Pope in Catholicism but as some of my catholic friends mentioned, he is supposed to be infallible on matters of faith and morality. What I failed to figure out is whether that his 'unqualified support for Jews' belongs to any of those categories, faith and morality' of it is an administrative worldly matter where he is not infallible.
I am not trying to belittle the Pope, but his statement does not much sense to me. If it is pure politics, then he is not doing his church any favor by mixing religion and politics. And if it a statement of faith and morality, then it should not be inherently contradictory, which unfortunately it is. And that can be very confusing to any thoughtful follower of his.
When person A says that a certain act is totally correct, while person B says that the same thing is totally immoral, you cannot show "full and indisputable solidarity" with both at the same time.
So, which Jews is the Pope showing full and indisputable solidarity with? Let us explore this a bit further:
Does Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated for promoting peace with the Palestinians get the papal solidarity, or does his killer Yigal Amir who is treated like a celebrity by many killer-minded Israeli Jews?Can the Pope pour his love on a scoundrel and thief like Bernard Madoff, or he would be more comfortable holding that out of concern for the feelings of Madoff's victims like the dozens of Jewish charities that invested with Madoff and are now bankrupt?
Are terrorists like Meir Kahana and his militant followers in the United States and in Israel, with their racist hateful rhetoric and acts, worthy of the Pope's compassion or he would rather pray for Army of Peace founder Uri Avnery?
Does the Pope prefer to show support for a murderer like Baruch Goldstein who executed 30 Muslim worshipers while they are performing their prayers in Hebron Mosque andwho is still considered a saint by many settler Israelis, or it would be wiser to save the support for the Jewish children exterminated by Goldstein's Nazi counterparts in Auschwitz?
Does he stand in solidarity with Daniel pipes, hate- and war-mongering icon, that built a career on exaggerations and lies against Muslims and Arabs, or with Gideon Levi and Amira Hass with their tireless effort to promote peace and honesty in reporting?Would the Pope endorse Abe Foxman, the ADL hyper-paranoid president who behaves as if one who does not love Israel as much as they love God they must be antisemitic, or Richard Silverstein who thinks that Abe Foxman has no morals to speak of?
Does the Pope fend for Crazy rabbis of the West Bank settlements who declared a Jewish fatwa that killing innocent palestinians is Kosher, and rabbis of Shas Party who do think of original inhabitants of Palestine, be they Muslims or Christians, as if they were cockroaches and snakes?
Or would the Pope rather stand in line with the Antizionist rabbis and Rabbis for Human Rigths who denounce the occupation of Palestine, and with rabbis of Naturei Karta who think the whole idea of Israel as a state is a violation of the commandments of God?I guess the reader gets my drift.
So, of all the Jews I have mentioned above, which group does the Pope support??
The Pope cannot have it both ways. A true Christian may be able to love people on opposing ends of any cause, but even the Pope cannot support opposing arguments simultaneously. And with blanket statements like "full and indisputable solidarity with Jews" he paints himself into a corner.
One has to assume that either he has a profound subliminal meaning that less-than-holy lay people like myself cannot get, or that his statement was founded in pure politics.
What do you think??
Khaled
Selected Links:
- Benedict's plea
- BBC NEWS | Europe | Merkel joins Papal Holocaust row
- Gideon Levy / Does Zionism legitimize every act of violence and injustice? - Haaretz - Israel News
- Think Progress » Foxman: George Mitchell is too ‘fair’ and ‘even-handed’ to serve as Middle East envoy.
- Pope Voices Support for Jews, Rejects Holocaust Denial
- Pope Expresses "Full And Indisputable Solidarity" With Jews
- Cleric ordered to recant Holocaust views
- Prominent Orthodox rabbi backs Pope over lifting SSPX excommunications
