Home // April 16-20 2012 > Cardinal apologises for describing Jews as intellectually inferior

Make Text Larger Make Text Smaller Email this Article to a Friend Print this Article

Cardinal apologises for describing Jews as intellectually inferior

Published: April 12, 2012

Cardinal George Pell has sought to clarify remarks he made about Jews on TV, calling them intellectually lesser than the Egyptians, including Jesus Christ, said a report in The Age.

Cardinal Pell released a statement saying he was sorry the points did not come out as he preferred, and said he was trying to ''make a point about the unique place of the Jewish people in human history as the first to receive the revelation of the one true God while I was being regularly interrupted and distracted by the chairman'' (Tony Jones).

During the ABC's Q&A TV debate with Richard Dawkins on Monday night, Cardinal Pell appeared to suggest that ''no people in history were [as severely] punished as the Germans were'', apparently ignoring the Holocaust, for which the Germans were punished.

He said his reference to the Germans was intended to illustrate ''the mysterious way great crimes'' are punished.

FULL STORY AND RELATED COVERAGE

Cardinal apologises for describing Jews as intellectually inferior (The Age)

Cardinal clarifies comments (The Australian Jewish News)

PHOTO CREDIT

/www.catholicdirectory.com.au

 

Response to articles is welcome. Simply follow the prompts to post your comment. No posting of more than 250 words will be published. While critical comment on stories and issues is welcomed, postings that descend to personal attacks on or impugn the integrity of other commentators will be blocked. Please use your own name, or initials, eg John Brown, or JB, or JAB, or Johnny. You are also required to add your location - as in, Sunshine, Victoria. Please provide your email address in the line supplied, followed by your contact phone number. These are requested for identification purposes only and will not be published. If you have any problems, please email news@cathnews.com


 


Recent Comments

  1. I am not generally a supporter of Cardinal Pell's brand of Catholicism.
    However in reference to his remarks about Jews made on the Q & A program, the point I understood he was making was that from the view of history, the Jewish civilisation (at the time of the beginning of common era) was not a super power by any means.
    That was all he was he trying to convey. To suggest he intended to denigrate Jews generally is a misreading of his comments.

    Posted By: Elias Nasser

  2. 'Cardinal Pell's brand of Catholicism'...
    I didn't realise there are different 'brands' of Catholicism. Sounds like a supermarket where you can pick and choose from different brands of a product to suit your personal tastes.
    Actually I support Cardinal Pell's 'brand'! of Catholicism but there were a number of things he said about Jews and evolution that I wasn't in agreement with.

    Posted By: deric davidson

^ Page Top

Bookmark and Share

More from this section

  1. Archbishop Coleridge says he is ready to engage

    Brisbane archdiocese's new leader Archbishop Mark Coleridge said he is keen to work for the "common good of all people in this great city and far beyond", reports The Catholic Leader. He spoke to the media on various topics, including same-sex civil unions, the issue of women priests and South Brisbane's self-exiled St Mary's community.

Church Resources provides a range of services for the Church and not-for-profit sector, including aggregating buying power for a wide range of products and services used by health, welfare, aged care, education and parish organisations. More »

Mass streamed live daily

From Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara, in the Broken Bay Diocese.
Weekdays live at 9.30am
Saturdays live 9.30am (followed by Adoration and Benediction)
Sundays live 9.30am
Click on this link at the appropriate time to connect.

Subscribe

To receive headlines from our faith-based news services, please subscribe below.

Email address

Newsletter

 

News Feed

Subscribe to the CathNews RSS feed to get the daily edition automatically delivered to you.
Subscribe to Faith Project RSS.