On Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI issued a letter to Catholic Bishops considering the uproar caused by the remission of the excommunication of four Bishops connected to the Society of Saint Pius X, better known as SSPX. In it, Pope Benedict XVI explains the Williamson case as an “unforeseen mishap,” and explains that he now realizes that the information that Williamson was a Holocaust reductionist was available on the internet, and by using this resource some of the controversy may have been averted, acknowledging that the Holy See would have to start paying more attention to the internet as a source of news.
The letter goes on to comment on more of the reasoning behind the remissions of the excommunications, stating that they were an effort to close an ever-widening gap between the church and SSPX, perhaps bringing closer the possibility of reconciliation between the sect and the church itself. Further explanations included the remission of the excommunication was a lifting of a disciplinary measure, and not the acceptance of the doctrinal differences between the church and SSPX that some felt it was. In essence, just because the church has lifted the penalty on the bishops does not give them any form of canonical authority.
More than just paying attention to the Internet as a source of news, the Vatican should use this as an opportunity to learn and understand how news on the Internet work, and the speed at which it spreads.
Explaining in plain terms what the motives were when lifting the excommunications is something that should have been done on 21st January, when the decree was first issued, not six weeks later, or even two weeks later when the first response came from the Vatican in response to Williamson’s reductionist statements. Those who understand church law may have been in the know, but the simple fact is that they are not the only ones paying attention to what comes out of the Vatican. Today’s news cycle is short, and allowing 2 to 6 weeks between action and response is absurd.
