I read this this morning. It is disturbing to say the least. If it had been written in 1944 I might be able to put an historical context about it, but it was written in the last two days.
Emil Floris (born 1955) is a priest of the diocese of Zilina in Slovakia. Ordained in 1981 he holds degrees from the Pontifical University of Krakow at doctoral level. At present he is the parish priest of Cadci (or Cadca). I hope we do not have to wait long to hear of an official response from the bishop, Tomas Galis.
Emil Floris (born 1955) is a priest of the diocese of Zilina in Slovakia. Ordained in 1981 he holds degrees from the Pontifical University of Krakow at doctoral level. At present he is the parish priest of Cadci (or Cadca). I hope we do not have to wait long to hear of an official response from the bishop, Tomas Galis.
Fr Emil Floris
He warns that the Roma are headed in the same direction
Prague, Sept 6 (ČTK) — Slovak Catholic priest Emil Floriš said the Jews themselves are to blame for the Holocaust and the same can happen to Romanies, the Czech daily Právo writes.
"A part of the speech by Floriš, who spoke at a mass in Čadca, north central Slovakia, that was devoted to Jews and the Holocaust offends and humiliates the memory of the victims," Lucia Kollárová, spokeswoman for the Headquarters of the Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia, told the Slovak news agency SITA, Právo writes.
Kollárová said a part of Floriš's speech included untruths and anti-Semitic cliches, relativizing the suffering of the Jewish population during World War Two, also on the territory of present-day Slovakia.
Floriš reportedly said Jews from all over Europe had been transported to the concentration camps because they were hated, for which they themselves were to blame, Právo writes.
"Now the same is threatening Romanies. Do you know why? Because they abuse the system and charity of people," Floriš said before hundreds of church-goers, Právo writes.
About 70,000 Jews were deported from war-time Slovakia, a Nazi-controlled puppet state, during the war. About 67,000 of them perished in Nazi death camps.
The head of wartime Slovakia, Catholic priest Jozef Tiso was executed as a war criminal in 1947.
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I took a part on this ceremony and I can honestly say, that words from his speech have nothing common with hatespeech against Jews. He just wanted to explain relations between Jews and common Slovaks in 1939-1945. Media misuse this speech like a tool of antichristian propaganda. Quotes were choosed very wisely. Mostly.... out of any context.
ReplyDeleteUsually I do not post anonymous comments, but in this case I will. If you have the full sermon / speech would you send it to me. If indeed Fr Floris has been misquoted I will be only too happy to publish the complete text on this blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm racking my brain, but I can't think of a plausible scenario in which this priest was misquoted. Either he said these things or he didn't. The fact that he felt comfortable saying them in public is what is very telling to me- violent anti-semitism is growing in Europe again.
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