The Vatican has called for an ultra-traditionalist bishop to publicly renounce his views denying the Holocaust.In a statement released on Wednesday, the Vatican said Bishop Richard Williamson must "unequivocally" distance himself from his earlier statements in order to serve in the Roman Catholic Church.
"The positions of Monsignor Williamson on the Shoah (or Holocaust) are absolutely unacceptable and are firmly rejected by the Holy Father, " the Vatican said.
Williamson has denied the existence of the Nazi gas chambers and claimed only 300,000 Jews died in the World War II Holocaust rather than the six million that historians claim.
"The historical evidence is hugely against six million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler. I believe there were no gas chambers," said Williamson in an interview conducted by Swedish TV last November and aired on 21 January.
In late January the Vatican revoked the 1988 excommunication of Williamson and three other ultra-traditionalist bishops belonging to the St. Pius X Society.
Following an international outcry from Israel, Germany and Jewish groups, the Vatican called for Williamson to renounce his controversial position.
"Bishop Williamson, in order to be admitted to the episcopal functions of the Church, must in an absolutely unequivocal and public way distance himself from his positions regarding the Shoah," the statement said.
The Vatican also said that the Pope had not known about the bishop's views when he lifted its excommunication of him and the three other bishops.
On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised Pope for reinstating Williamson and urged the Vatican to unequivocally reject Holocaust denial.
"This is not just a matter, in my opinion, for the Christian, Catholic and Jewish communities in Germany but the Pope and the Vatican should clarify unambiguously that there can be no denial," she said.
Bishop Williamson has apologised for provoking controversy, but not for his views.
The Vatican's statement on Wednesday also said that the Pius X Society must recognise the reformist Vatican II Council of 1962-65 and the popes who followed it.
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(Source: AKI)