The pope’s decision to reinstate a bishop who denies that six million Jews were murdered during World War II is ‘disastrous’, says the bishop of Rotterdam Ad van Luyn.

Speaking on tv programme Kruispunt on Sunday night, the bishop said statements by Richard Williamson are ‘scandalous, shocking and cynical’.
Pope Benedictus XV1 brought Williamson and three other arch conservative bishops back into the church at the beginning of this year.
Van Luyn, who is chairman of the Dutch bishops’ conference, said he did not believe the pope was aware of Williamson’s statements. ‘Papal workers have not predicted the repercussions… and that is to be regretted,’ he said.
Resignations
The Volkskrant carries an interview with theologian Jean-Pierre Wils who teaches ethics at Nijmegen University and has left the Catholic church because of the rehabilitation of Williamson.
Wils says he reached his decision after being asked to give a reading to mark Holocaust memorial day in front of Auschwitz survivors. ‘I could no longer stay a member of the Catholic church without losing my self respect,’ he told the paper.
The Catholic church is becoming increasingly orthodox and anti-liberal and claims that the pope was not aware of what he has done are wrong, Wils said. ‘The pope knows exactly who he is dealing with.’
Last week, foreign minister Maxime Verhagen called on the pope to ‘explicity condemn’ Williamson’s statements.