Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bishop Williamson Found Guilty in Regensburg of "Inciting Hatred"

Edit: a man can be tried as many times in German courts as they need to get a verdict they like, apparently.

 Regensburg (kath.net/KNA)  The District Court of Regensburg has found British traditionalist Bishop Richard Williamson (72) guilty of inciting hatred [Volksverhetzung] for a fine.  This will be 1,800 Euro, significantly lower than the 6,500 desired by the prosecutor.  The court had mitigated the sentence because +Williamson had tried after his interview with the Swedish broadcaster to keep his statements from spreading in Germany.  The attorney for the Bishop, Andreas Geipel, appealed immediately against the verdict after it was ruled.

+Williamson had estimated the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis at the most, at 300,000, and denied the existence of gas chambers.  The Judge, Andrea Hausladen said, that the Bishop had done this before running cameras and established his views at length over several minutes.  In conclusion of the recording he did not insist on any limitation of the use of the materials.  That was given as necessary for an intent to incite hatred.

+Williamson could have easily said that he didn't want any distribution in Germany, said the Judge.  "He didn't do that."   Otherwise the defendant had to know that other media would report over this explosive interview.  In this manner he at least tacitly approved of its distribution.  The defendant had, according to his earlier legal representative, Maximilian Krah, regretted his statements.  More importantly was the time of the broadcast, stressed Hausladen.

As far as the statement of Krah, that +Williamson had answered the questions of the journalists with "vanity and extensively" on the Holocaust, the Judge said: "Vanity sometimes leads one to do something which he later regrets."  As further grounds for the mitigating of the sentence, Hausladen introduced +Williamson's dismissal from the Society in October of last year, as well as the four year long duration of the proceedings.  The size of the penalty in consideration is difficult to ascertain. +Williamson lives at present exclusively on grants from friends.

His defender, Geipel described the verbal justification of the court as "not comprehensible".  The assertion that his client had pre-meditatively acted is an "innuendo".   Previous to the trial Geipel and his colleage Edgar Weiler spoke of a previous judgement of +Williamson.  In his pleading they talked about the expressions of the traditional Bishop, that they had been completely careless.  They moved for a dismissal to all public bodies.

+Williamson had already been condemned in a trial for a fine.  The decision was dismissed in February of 2012 by Nurenburg Superior Court because of procedural errors.

With his comments the Briton sparked an international scandal, because shortly after the publication of the interview, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI. had lifted the excommunications of +Williamson and three other traditionalist bishops. Later the Vatican explained, that the pope did not know about +Williamson's remarks about the Holocaust.

Kath.net...

4 comments:

Clinton R. said...

"Later the Vatican explained, that the pope did not know about +Williamson's remarks about the Holocaust."

What I don't get is why Bishop Williamson's view on the Holocaust is an issue. Since when is one's view on the Holocaust now de fide? Oh, that's right, when the Judaizers within the Church decided that unless you agree with the Jews on everything, you are an Antisemetic, right wing nut job. You knew things were not right when the Post Vatican II popes visited synagogues and did not preach the Gospel to the Jews, but instead told them everything they wanted to hear. The new teaching is the Old Covenant is still valid and they do not have to accept Jesus. How that is charitable to them is beyond me. Isn't the Good News supposed to be spread to ALL people?

Anonymous said...

I can't say what I want to say as it would be blasphemous against the Old Covenantees. Not only in Germany do people self-censor.

Unknown said...

The new age of freedom and liberty all over the world only applies to those that are tolerant of stupidity and lies.

Catholic Mission said...

The ADL is using the Anti Semitic law to enforce a stupid version of Vatican Council II
The Anti-Semitic law which has been placed by the ADL in many countries, is being used as a weapon against the Vatican , to accept a ludicrous version of the Council, which affirms the dead are visible to us on earth.
The dead man walking theory is a being officially enforced on the Vatican with threats of financial penalities etc.This is part of the Jewish Left political effort.


With no text in Vatican Council II which contradicts the traditional Catholic teaching on other religions, or ecumenism, the mainstream media which they own,claims there is such a text in the Council.


When asked for proof they cite Lumen Gentium 16. As if these cases are known to us and so are exceptions to extra ecclesiam nulla salus.


Similarly, only God can know the exact number of people killed in the terrible Holocaust.So one could still be a good Catholic and wrong or right about the correct figure.Yet Bishop Richard Williamson is harassed and not allowed to be a bishop in the Catholic Church.Otherwise the Anti Semitic laws of the ADL would be used against the Church financial interests all over the world and especially the Vatican.The pope now also has to support the dead man theory.


The United Nations once equated Zionism with racism however the Jewish Left lobby had it rescinded. It is possible that the anti Semitic law can also be eliminated in the future. It is something relative.-Lionel Andrades