The Vatican has ordered a traditionalist bishop who denies the Holocaust to publicly recant his views if he wants to serve as a prelate in the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Benedict was not aware of Bishop Richard Williamson's denial of the Holocaust when the pontiff lifted excommunications on him and three other traditionalist bishops last month, the Vatican said in a statement.
"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, using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust.
Dr Williamson's positions on the Holocaust were "absolutely unacceptable and firmly rejected by the Holy Father," it said.
On January 24th, the pope lifted the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops who were ejected from the Church 20 years ago when they were ordained without the permission of then Pope John Paul II.
Dr Williamson told Swedish television in an interview broadcast on January 21st: "I believe there were no gas chambers". He said no more than 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, rather than the six million accepted by mainstream historians.
His comments outraged Jews and the pope has come under criticism for rehabilitating him, despite warnings from Jewish leaders that it would seriously harm Catholic-Jewish relations and foment anti-Semitism.
Reuters