Holocaust- Denying Bish Makes Fightin' Exit

(AP) - A British bishop apologized today for remarks in which he denied the scale of the Holocaust and asserted that no Jews were gassed in concentration camps. "I can truthfully say that I regret having made such remarks," said Bishop Richard Williamson. He did not, however, say that his comments were wrong or that he had changed his views. More»

(NEWSER) - Maybe the Vatican has an extra room. Argentina today ordered the Holocaust-denying Catholic bishop to leave the country in 10 days, the Times of London reports. Bishop Richard Williamson triggered an international outcry when he made his claims about the Holocaust in a TV interview, then got accepted back into the church by Pope Benedict. The Vatican has since ordered Williamson to recant, but he hasn't done so yet. More»

Williamson yield after d

(NEWSER) - Under pressure to recant his Holocaust denial, Bishop Richard Williamson promises to crack open the history books. “Historical evidence is at issue, not emotions," he told Der Spiegel. "And if I find this evidence, I will correct myself. But that will take time." Williamson said his opinions were based on 1980s research—the Leuchter report—that “seemed plausible to me,” but, he is told, "has been scientifically refuted." More»

Ratzinger says German leader's call for pontiff to clarify Holocaust stance is 'irrational'

(NEWSER) - The pope’s brother today criticized Angela Merkel for demanding that Benedict XVI restate his views on the Holocaust amid the controversy over a reinstated priest, the Times of London reports. “I always saw her as a rational woman,” Georg Ratzinger—himself a Catholic priest—said of the German chancellor. “But perhaps at the moment she is under pressure to say something irrational.” More»

Hardliner rejected Vatican reforms for being too tolerant of other faiths

(NEWSER) - Pope Benedict XVI is planning to welcome four rebel bishops excommunicated by his predecessor back to the Catholic Church, reports the Times of London. The ultra-conservative bishops reject the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council. One of them, Richard Williamson, openly endorses the anti-semitic tract Protocols of the Elders of Zion and believes the Holocaust never happened. The bishops were excommunicated for defying church authority. More»