The Pope is no Nazi

The Williamson affair has damaged the Pope's reputation, writes Rik Torfs, a Belgian professor of Catholic canon law in his column for the daily De Standaard: "The current Pope is no Nazi but a sentimental conservative. People of this type seldom install gas chambers themselves, nor are they entirely harmless. [Joseph] Ratzinger is filled with yearning for the former splendour of the Church. In his eagerness to haul the followers of the old rituals back on board he accepts the collateral damage without major problems. … The Pope's attitude demonstrates how perverse seemingly benign conservatism can be. The conservative tries to preserve the formalities of the past even if the moral price is unreasonably high. Keeping up appearances is more important than morals. By maintaining the old rituals the Pope is indirectly playing down the significance of the Holocaust."

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