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Your Opinions

Compiled by DW staff (kjb)February 4, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has taken heat from all sides, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for reinstating a bishop who denied the Holocaust. Many readers are angry at the pope, while others take aim at Merkel.

https://p.dw.com/p/GnA9
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict condemned denial of the Holocaust in a speech last weekImage: picture-alliance/ dpa

The following comments reflect the views of DW-WORLD.DE readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

I am struck at the outrage expressed toward Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision regarding the priest who denied the Holocaust. The call for his excommunication is simply misplaced. Excommunication is justified by religious heresy. The Holocaust is not religious doctrine. It is a historical matter. The pope is correct in refusing to back down on this issue. -- Anthony Cavaluzzi, US

Pope Benedict has checkmated himself with this crazy bishop move. Benedict is morally and politically crippled as a result of his invitation to Williamson and his nefarious associates. If Benedict pleads ignorance of the anti-Semitic smell then he condemns himself as either a fool or a liar: 10 minutes on the Web gives you the odor and Benedict has spent a considerable proportion of his career immersed in Catholic power machinations -- more often than not, sitting in the cockpit. If Benedict pleads pastoral healing then he condemns himself as either a fool or a sympathizer. His invitation has given oxygen to hate-mongering lies of the worst kind -- a sin several orders of magnitude worse than the internal Catholic power play that caused the original excommunication. The chief shepherd has opened the gate to wolves -- he's lost the plot and must either resign or be sacked. -- Peter Robinson, Australia

Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by German President Horst Koehler, right, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, upon his arrival in Munich on Sept. 9, 2006
Merkel should pay more attention to the separation of church and state, says one readerImage: AP


It is disgusting to witness that a German politician violates the principle of the separation between church and state. Angela Merkel has no reason get involved in an internal strife of the Catholic Church. As for Williamson, let him face the social consequence of his remarks, but no politician has any right to meddle in the life of the Catholic Church. We need sensible liberal politicians, not manipulators of people's faith. -- Francisco Olivas, Nicaragua

Not only is Ms. Merkel right, but I feel it's clear that anyone with a healthy mind must speak against such sick opinions on thoroughly and deeply documented facts. Many Holocaust survivors are terribly disgusted with the tendency to deny the worst crimes in the history of mankind. I cannot understand how it is possible that Catholicism and Fascism can get so close to each other -- it is absolutely abhorrent! It surely will have a fatal influence on the perception of the Vatican and maybe on whole Catholic Church. -- Martin Burlas, Slovakia

The German-born pope, Benedict XVI, is the worst possible representative of the German people and Germany, and is closer to the nefarious Pius XII or Leo X in Catholic history. His ontology is as antiquated as his theology, and he will cost the church millions of adherents who are repelled by his insensitivity to people as seen in his "rehabilitation" of "bishop" Williamson, and worse, his promotion of an Austrian bigot to a bishopric. I renounce my Roman Catholic baptism, confirmation, and membership in such a hate-filled cult as the Benedict XVI church for Benedict shows that he has no understanding of basic tenets of Christianity. He should abdicate and flee. -- Dr. Arthur Frederick Ide, Peru

This is one of the reasons that it is said that the Church is very out of touch with the rest of the world. It has a history of hiding from the truth. It is sad that this is such a sad day for Catholics. -- Brian Fraser Southard, US