Williamson apology is not sufficient

ROME — The Vatican said Friday that an apology by a bishop who has denied the scope of the Holocaust was not sufficient to restore him to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, according to a story today in the New York Times..

In a statement published Thursday by Zenit, a Catholic news agency, Bishop Richard Williamson apologized to the pope, the church and “survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich.” But he did not address the substance of his views on the Holocaust or disavow the remarks he made in the interview.

In an informal statement to reporters on Friday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said that Bishop Williamson’s apology “does not seem to meet the expectations” set forth by the Vatican earlier this month. He referred to a statement the Vatican issued on Feb. 4 that called on the bishop to “absolutely” and publicly distance himself from his positions on the Holocaust, or he would not be allowed to serve as a Catholic bishop.

Pope Benedict has said he revoked the excommunication of the four bishops to heal a schism in the church. The four were members of the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X, which was founded in 1970 in opposition to the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The status of Bishop Williamson and the three other bishops remains uncertain. It hinges on internal discussions between the four and the Vatican committee that oversees relations with the society.

Bishop Williamson, a Briton, arrived in Britain earlier this week after being expelled from Argentina, where he headed a seminary near Buenos Aires until he was removed this month.

American Jewish groups on Friday praised the Vatican for its response to Bishop Williamson’s apology.
[Click on the headline to read the full story in the New York Times]