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Group says it doesn't share views of Holocaust denier

A schismatic Roman Catholic society that Pope Benedict XVI recently rehabilitated apologized to the pope on Tuesday and distanced itself from the comments of one of its members, who has denied the Holocaust.

On Saturday, the pope revoked the excommunication of four bishops from the St. Pius X Society, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who said in a television interview last week that there was no historical evidence for the Nazi gas chambers. The pope's decision has angered Jewish and liberal Catholic groups, among others.

In a letter dated Tuesday and released by the Vatican, the director of the St. Pius X Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, said that Bishop Williamson's statements "do not reflect the position of the society." He added that the group had been "saddened" by the repercussions of Bishop Williamson's remarks and the damage they had done to its mission

The St. Pius X Society is a traditionalist group whose 600 priests and 400,000 adherents represent the far right of the world's one billion Catholics. It was founded in 1970 by a French archbishop, Marcel Lefebvre, in staunch opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council, also known as Vatican II, including its commitment to ecumenicism, the celebration of Mass in the language of the worshipers, and a greater role for laity and women.

Related Links

  • Deborah Lipstadt: Pope Benidict Reacts to Uproar about Williamson's Reinstatement [de-excommuncation]
  • Read entire article at IHT