British Bishop Richard Williamson is at the center of controversy after being brought back into the Catholic Church. The reason for the rift….? Williamson said he did not believe any Jews were gassed during the Holocaust. He insulted the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi death camps by stating that only 200,000 were killed.
Jewish groups and Roman Catholic bishops in Pope Benedict XVI native Germany demanded that Williamson apologize for his statements before he could be admitted as a bishop into the Roman Catholic Church. But instead, Williamson said that he needed “proof” that the Holocaust actually happened. What more proof does he need?
The Vatican practically did nothing to ease the PR damage done by the decision of Pope Benedict XVI to bring Williamson back to the church. Williamson has never apologized for his ridiculous views about the extent of Jewish suffering under the Nazis. If Williamson has yet to retract his outrageous statements regarding the treatment of the Jewish people during the days of Adolf Hitler, he should not be a registered member of the Church, much less a Bishop. As the PR Practitioner for the Vatican, I would not only excommunicate Williamson from the church but also issue an apology to the Jewish community.
-Travis Francis
I totally agree with this post. Even if you wholeheartedly do not believe that an event that is recognized in world history did not occur you should never publicly admit it. The Vatican is making a huge mistake by not asking for a public apology before admitting Bishop Williamson back into the Catholic Church. Although Jewish people are not of the same faith as Catholics there should be a certain amount of sensitivity that is used when dealing with the holocaust. I believe the Catholic Church has done a very poor job over the years when it comes to PR.
ReplyDelete-Nicole Jackson
I think that this particular story is ridiculous. When I heard it on NPR, I was astounded at how insensitive Bishop Williamson was. It is one thing if you believe something personally; it is quite another to vocalize that belief, when it's not warranted or even appropriate. The Vatican is making a huge PR blunder by not requiring a public apology from Bishop Williamson; but then again, in my opinion, the Catholic Church is not well-known for their effective PR strategies.
ReplyDeletePorsche