The Cornell Society for a Good Time breaks its silence!

I must admit I'd been waiting for a while to see what their take would be on the SSPX situation. (To all non-trads reading this who had never heard of Bishop Williamson until ten days ago: in our little world we've been following this saga for years, so forgive our seemingly bizarre and insatiable interest in the matter.) Clara does not disappoint, but attacks the subject with her usual vehemence:

It's actually terribly ironic when you think about it. If the Vatican were to make a practice of excommunicating people for holding erroneous historical views (say, academic historians who had spread misinformation about the history of the papacy or the lives of the saints) they would be excoriated for not respecting intellectual freedom. Now, because they won't penalize Williamson for his historical errors, they are accused of insensitivity to Jews.

And:

Finally, with respect to Catholic-Jewish relations, I can't quite overcome the impluse to ask... who cares? I mean, I have nothing against Jews per se, but it's not as if being on friendly terms with Jewish leaders is a central part of the Church's apostolic mission. Of course, we shouldn't antagonize them needlessly, but if they're going to throw tantrums about things that don't concern them, that's more their problem than ours.

Reading this piece, I am torn between two emotions: hearty agreement, and a nervous feeling that she might be underestimating the power of the media. Their knack of smelling blood in the air when their enemies are vulnerable. Their stubborn refusal to let facts get in the way of seizing any opportunity to write a headline containing both the words "Pope" and "antisemitism". And of course, their ability to influence the views of the man on the street. The post, however, is well worth a read.

Today news has emerged that the Vatican is requiring a public recantation by Williamson before things can move forward. The problem is that such measures only reinforce the false impression generated by the media that the Holocaust was a factor in the decision to lift the excommunications, and also that non-Catholics have some sort of right to dictate to the Pope what his dealings with his own Bishops should be. And do you think that such a generous measure will silence his critics for one moment? Think again.

For example, this evening when I glanced at the online editon of the German magazine Stern I was greeted by a photograph of the grim-faced Charlotte Knobloch, chairwoman of the Committee of Jews in Germany, with the headline: "Jews greet "first step." The article goes on

A first step in the right direction, but not more: the Jewish organisations have made it clear that they require more from the Vatican than a mere[!] demand that Holocaust denier Richard Williamson take back his comments. The Central Committee of Jews also called for a clear change of course from Rome.

There follow numerous denunciations from Germany's political establishment and liberal clerics. No attempt is made to give the traditionalists' side of the story, and of course the impression is given that the Bishop's historical views were the reason for his excommunication and hence also for the lifting of it. Does anyone seriously think that these people are acting in good faith? That they hold "Catholic-Jewish relations" in any real regard? That they will ever be satisfied?