Detroit, USA - In a letter to Catholic bishops released publicly Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI admits mistakes and expresses "deep regret" for parts of the process by which he reinstated Bishop Richard Williamson, who has denied the Holocaust.
"The Holy Father admits to mistakes in how the Vatican handled the case and explained it publicly when first announced back in January," the Archdiocese of Detroit said in a news release issued Thursday.
The controversy disturbed relations between the Catholic Church and Jews around the world and engendered sharp denunciations from some world leaders. Some Catholic leaders questioned whether the Vatican bureaucracy is competently administered under Pope Benedict XVI.
The letter states that by seeking reconciliation in the restoration of four bishops -- who had been excommunicated by Pope John Paul II when they were made bishops against the disapproval of the Vatican -- the pontiff knew he was raising potentially treacherous issues. In sum, the Pope says he realizes that despite the best intentions, the matters were not well-handled.
"The remission of the excommunication of the four Bishops consecrated in 1988 by Archbishop (Marcel) Lefebvre without a mandate of the Holy See has for many reasons caused, both within and beyond the Catholic Church, a discussion more heated than any we have seen in a long time," Benedict wrote. "The discreet gesture of mercy," he said, "appeared as something completely different: as the repudiation of reconciliation between Christians and Jews."
Archbishop Allen Vignernon, who arrived in Detroit at the very time the controversy began to rage, on Thursday described Benedict's letter as a "clarification and pastoral communication."