From an interview granted by the director of the Holy See Press Office and head of Radio Vaticana, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, to French daily La Croix:
Could it [the commotion caused by the Decree lifting the excommunication] have been avoided?Honestly, the delicate point is to know who knew the opinions of this man. When it is proposed to the Pope to lift the excommunication of four Bishops, it is not an important number, as [it would be] if they were 150. They are known, these four Bishops. Undoubtedly, the people who managed this situation were not aware of the gravity of the opinions of Mgr Williamson. It is true that the negotiations were conducted with Mgr Fellay. But the positions of the other Bishops were not taken into consideration. What is certain is that the Pope ignored it. If there was someone who should know it, it is Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos.
NOTE: It is unpleasant to say so, but Father Lombardi is being disingenuous. If the Pope did not know, many may be blamed; but if Lombardi did not know, even though his office was in charge of preparing the note presenting the decree, then he should blame himself. He is the Pope's leading man in all media-related matters. He, personally, or the scores of employees in the most inefficient communications operation in the Church (the Holy See Press Office/Radio Vaticana apparatus, all under his personal control and the biggest financial drain in the Vatican) could have just searched Google for any of the several problematic texts written by Bishop R. Williamson, some for his own blog... Or he could have just searched in the files of the new business partner, Youtube.
Most of those involved knew some of these strange opinions, and Lombardi should, too - it is not as if anyone was hiding anything. And everything had been available for years to anyone with an internet connection - the only new information was the interview, strangely released on the very day on which the decree was signed. Few expected that the media would inflate this story for such a long time, but Lombardi should not try to scapegoat others for his own incompetence in the complex task of using search engines...
Please, pray for the only effective president that the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" has ever had, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos. Many are trying to scapegoat him now - at a pivotal moment in which his presence is most needed.
