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Bishop 'sorry' for comments on Holocaust bishop says sorry
Jack Lefley27.02.09
A BRITISH Catholic bishop who caused uproar by denying the scale of the Holocaust has apologised for his views after widespread condemnation.
Bishop Richard Williamson made his apology in a statement on a Catholic news agency website. He caused outrage by saying there were no gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps and that no more than 300,000 Jews died in the Holocaust, rather than the accepted figure of six million.
Zenit, a Catholic news agency, reported him saying: "I regret having made such remarks. If I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the Church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of the Third Reich, I would not have made them."
Zenit said Bishop Williamson's comments were released by the Vatican's Ecclesia Dei commission, a body established by Pope John Paul in 1988 to bring breakaway traditionalist Catholics like Williamson back into the fold.
Williamson, who belongs to a Catholic group called the Society of St Pius X, was excommunicated after he was ordained as bishop in an unauthorised ceremony 20 years ago.
Pope Benedict last month lifted the excommunication of Bishop Williamson and three other traditionalists in an effort to heal a two-decade schism within the Catholic Church.
Reader views (5)
Adam Portugal: you miss the point entirely!! NO ONE is denying Williamson of his right to state his opinions about the holocaust. He is free to make whatever statements about the matter, as he has done (except in German where holocaust-denial is againt tha law). Please read the full story to get a complete understanding. The point is that Williamson's beliefs make him ineligible to be a Roman Catholic priest.
- Ben Adamson, New York, NY
He can say what he like about what he likes ... trouble is denying one of the greatest crimes against humanity (on what informed basis?) isn't the cleverest idea if you're a priest. So let him continue if he so wishes, but can I recommend a career change?
- Marianne, SW France
He was never made a bishop by the Catholic church. He was installed as a bishop by a breakaway group which is why he was excommunicated in 1988. He has NOT recanted now, only apologised for causing trouble. Clearly, he still believes all the nonsense he's espoused for years, and he's been associating with David Irving, the infamous holocaust denier. The pope should reinstate the excommunication. As a German and a former member of the Hitler Youth, the pope needs to take a firm hand in this matter, not act so weakly, saying he didn't realise Williamson held such views. Ridiculous.
- Alf Bennett, London, England.
Whatever happened to freedom of speech in the West?
Its ok for Israel to mock the Virgin Mary recently a few days ago on Israeli TV see Haaretz.com feb 20th but if a Catholic bishop makes a passing comment against the scale of the Holocaust, then watch out? What a typical double standard of the West which simultaneously preaches democracy, etc... to other nations.
- Adam Portugal, browerville MN USA
The Bishop did not recant his statements as untrue or incorrect. He apologised for making the remarks and getting caught up in the furor that will follow such stupidity.
- Michael O'Halloran, Columbus Ohio USA
