Here's Bp. Vigano's rabbi letter translated:
Dear Rabbi,
Since I have been called into question for my Appeal For the Church and For the World, I have asked Katolisch for its hospitality so that I may respond to you.
I must tell you, Doctor Ahrens, that your words amaze me greatly when you say: “We have known for some time that there are people within the churches who adhere to such theories. But now they have the courage to express these opinions even more openly.” I think that each of us have the duty to express our concern about a situation that, profiting from the Covid crisis, goes far beyond reasonable security measures, imposing on entire nations the deprivation of constitutional liberties: perhaps this has not happened in Germany, but it has certainly been verified in other nations.
I ask you, Rabbi: in your opinion, is it still permitted to express oneself freely, or are there certain topics that may not be discussed civilly? If you can express your dissent against the content of the Appeal, why should “people within the churches”not have the right to express themselves freely? Why do you think that in order to do this one needs to “have courage” as if we were talking about rantings that are not offering real feedback?
To dismiss these concerns – which moreover have been expressed by authoritative personalities – as “conspiracy theories”does not seem to me to be a constructive attitude: above all if one does not address the merit of the argument, refuting what one believes is not true. I ask you therefore: what specific thing in the text of the appeal are you not in agreement with? What in the Appeal represents a “shock” for you?
Believe me: I would have never thought that the Appeal could offend you; on the other hand, why should a Rabbi feel called into question when there is talk of the nєω ωσrℓ∂ σr∂єr? The Messiah whom Israel waits for is Rex pacificus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri saeculi: not a tyrant without morals who dominates the world by subjecting men as slaves. This is rather the Antichrist.
We come now to the spiritual value of Covid. In the Old Testament there are many examples of punishment sent by God on the Chosen People, and the Prophets admonish the Hebrews many times to abandon their idolatry, to not be contaminated by the pagans, to remain faithful to the One True God. I recall the words of the Prophet Jeremiah, after the Babylonian troops set fire to Jerusalem in 585 B.C.: “Her adversaries have come out on top, her enemies prosper; because the Lord has afflicted her for her innumerable sins” (Lam 1:5).
This vision, which the Church of Christ shares, shows a God who is both just and merciful, who rewards the good and punishes evildoers; who as a loving Father also punishes his disobedient children, to bring them back to follow his holy Law. For this reason “transforming the negative into the positive, transforming a curse into a blessing” is obtained by the recognition of having committed a sin, of having violated the covenant with God, of having merited his punishments. Thus even the epidemic becomes a time to turn to the Lord, to adore Him in His holy temple, to follow His precepts.
There was a time when, with the obedience of the masses, an infernal dictatorship stained itself with a most serious crime, making itself responsible for the deportation and death of millions of innocent people, only because of their faith and their ancestry. Even then the mainstream media praised those in power and were silent about their crimes; even then doctors and scientists lent their work to a delusional plan of domination; even then whoever dared to raise his voice was accused of “conspiracy theories.” It was not until the end of the Second World War that the truth was discovered with horror that many had been silent about until then.
I am sure that those who today are delegitimizing the Appeal as an expression of “conspiracy” do not recognize the real dangers that the entire human family is exposed to. But I am sure that both Catholics and all men of good will – and among then I am confident that I can also count the children of Abraham – have at heart the greater glory of God, respect for the dignity of individuals, and the freedoms of peoples. Blessed are the people who God is the Lord (Ps 143:15).
+ Carlo Maria Vigano
Archbishop, Apostolic Nuncio
May 22, 2020
The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ