Ignore Holocaust Deniers, Except...

In most cases, I would argue that ignoring Holocaust deniers is the best thing to do, as it cuts off their publicity hungry life blood. But when it comes to the Head of State, as in the case of Ahmadinejad, or a Catholic bishop who has been excommunicated and is now being reinstated by the Pope, it is a different matter.

That is because they are truly public figures, and, in the case of Williamson, his reinstatement suggests that the Pope himself, German-born and someone who lived through the Nazi period in German, has completely lost touch with the kind of offense such an action might cause. The initial Vatican response, that Williamson's views and comments on Danish TV may be a lie but were not heresy, was laughable. Isn't a priest supposed not to lie? Does the Roman Catholic church not have standards in regard to the truth, and particularly the truth in a matter where the church itself has come up for criticism over its actions, or lack of them, in the Nazi period when so many Catholics individually risked their lives to help other people?

So normally I would say ignore, but in these two cases, ignoring is not an option. And the damage done to Catholic Jewish relations in devastating.

By Julia Neuberger  |  February 5, 2009; 7:30 AM ET  | Category:  Religion & Leadership
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