Israel Matzav: Polish bishop accuses Jews of exploiting Holocaust?

Polish bishop accuses Jews of exploiting Holocaust?

One year ago on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI granted a reprieve to a Holocaust-denying bishop. Now, a Polish bishop, Tadeusz Pieronek, has allegedly told an Italian website that Jews "exploit the Holocaust."

"While it is undeniable that most of those who died in the concentration camps were Jews, there were also gypsies, Poles, Italians and Catholics on the list," Tadeusz Pieronek wrote on the website pontifex.roma.it.

"So it is not permissible to appropriate this tragedy for propaganda," he said in the posting, two days ahead of the 65th International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"There were lots of Poles, but this truth is often ignored today," added Pieronek, 75.

"The Holocaust as such is a Jewish invention," said the former spokesman of Poland's Bishops Conference. The Shoah is "used as a propaganda weapon and to obtain advantages that are often unjustified," he charged.

Pieronek, who was a friend of the late Polish pope John Paul II, added: "You could speak just as forcefully and establish a day of remembrance for the many victims of communism, persecuted Catholics and Christians and so on."

Accusing Jews of "intolerable arrogance," he said they "enjoy good press because they are supported by powerful financial means, enormous power and the unconditional backing of the United States."

Pieronek also criticized Israel for building a separation wall between its territory and the West Bank, which he called "a colossal injustice against the Palestinians, who are treated like animals and whose (basic) rights are violated, to say the least."

Calling for a day honoring the Palestinians, Pieronek lamented that "with the connivance of international lobbies, we don't talk about these things much."

Pieronek is now claiming that the quotes are 'out of context.'

Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek of Cracow, one of Poland’s most prominent religious figures, said on Monday that he was misrepresented in an Italian Catholic news web site interview in which he was quoted as saying that the Holocaust was a "Jewish invention", according to the PAP Polish news agency. Bishop Pieronek told the Pontifex.Roma web site on Sunday, “Seeing the photographs of the [Gaza] wall we can conclude that a colossal injustice has been committed against the Palestinians, who are treated like animals and their rights are being violated." He continued. “Let them establish [the international lobby] a Memorial Day for them also.”

Pieronek says the interview printed on the Italian web site bares little resemblance to the one that he gave the journalist. He explained, “I have not seen the printed text of the interview, which I have given but have not authorized. But if I were to believe in what I hear from the media then it looks as though the final form of the interview was the idea of the journalist that I had spoken to, as the text is full of vague statements."

Well, here's a Google translation of the Italian web page where Pieronek gave the interview. I've done enough translating to know that Google translations aren't always the most accurate, so if anyone speaks Italian, the original interview is here and I'd appreciate hearing from you whether the translation is accurate. Assuming that this is what Pieronek actually said, it is correct that the allies (and the Catholic church!) did almost nothing to save Jews during the Holocaust. But if the following is anything close to what he actually said, it's indefensible.

Concentration camps is undeniable that most of the dead were Jews, but gypsies in the list are Poles, Italians and Catholics. So it is not lawful possession of that tragedy to make propaganda. The Shoah as such is a Jewish invention, one could then speak with the same force and set a day of remembrance, even for the many victims of communism, Catholics and Christians persecuted and so on. But they, the Jews enjoyed a good press because they have strong financial resources behind it, enormous power and the unqualified support of the United States and this promotes a certain arrogance that I find unbearable. "Considers that, at least in part, the Shoah is exploited? "Of course it is. It is used as a weapon of propaganda and to obtain benefits often unjustified. I repeat, is not historically true that only Jews have died in the camps, many were Poles, but today these truths are almost ignored, and you proceed with this joke against Poland. Again, if your TV from the Pacific Annunziata, made statements on Poland, would do well to learn better. He told a joke. "Excellency, believes that today the Israelis respect the human rights of the Palestinians?" Seeing pictures of that wall is undeniable to say that you make a colossal injustice against the Palestinians are treated like animals and their rights Humans are nothing short violated. But these things, complicates international lobbies, talking little. We face a day of remembrance for them. Of course, none of this denies the shame of the concentration camps and the aberrations of Nazism. "

For the record, it is also a documented fact that many Poles collaborated in the Holocaust and murdered Jews who attempted to return home after the war. Pieroneck ignores that.

Israel Matzav: Polish bishop accuses Jews of exploiting Holocaust?