English Roman Catholic bishop, Bishop Richard Williamson, received a letter on 26 October 2009 informing him that he had being fined by a German court for “incitement” over his claim on Swedish television that fewer than 300,000 Jews died in Nazi death camps.

Holocaust denial is classed as a “hate crime” in Germany.

In January 2009, shortly after Pope Benedict XVI repealed an order made by the previous pope excommunicating Bishop Williamson and the 3 other bishops of the Order of Saint Pius the Tenth over their rejection of the Second Vatican Council, the world media suddenly “remembered” Bishop Williamson’s statements about the Holocaust.

What a coincidence.

Anyway, Bishop Williamson must now pay 100 euros a day for the next 120 days – if not, he may be locked up, because German law allows a maximum sentence of five years in prison for belittling or denying the Holocaust.

* * *

The very day that Bishop Williamson was fined was precisely the day that the Vatican was opening talks with the Society of St Pius X over the doctrinal matters separating them.

Another concidence?

From the point of view of traditional Catholics these coincidences and media frenzies are basically an attack on the Pope himself for his willingness to reintroduce at least some of the more traditional Catholic practices dropped during the reigns of his recent predecessors.