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	Bishop Who Denied Holocaust Is Said to Lose Seminary Post By Rachel Donadio International Herald Tribune February 9, 2009 http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/09/europe/09pope.php ROME: A rehabilitated bishop at the heart of a Vatican uproar for denying the Holocaust ever happened has been dismissed as the head of an Argentine seminary, Argentina newspapers reported in their Monday editions. They said the bishop, Richard Williamson, who has asserted that he does not believe the Nazis used gas chambers, was no longer the head of the La Reja seminary on the outskirts of the Argentina capital. "Monsignor Williamson's statements do not in any way reflect the position of our congregation," the newspapers quoted Father Christian Bouchacourt, the head of the Latin American chapter of the Catholic Society St. Pius X, as saying. Pope Benedict XVI provoked widespread anger last month when he rescinded the excommunications of Bishop Williamson and three fellow bishops as part of an effort to heal a 20-year-old schism within the church. Apparently surprised by the vociferous reaction, including unusual public criticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the pope's native country, the Vatican has since said Bishop Williamson must recant his views on the Holocaust. The pope has also made efforts to soothe offended relations with Jews and other groups angered by Bishop Williamson's rehabilitation, saying he had been unaware of the bishop's views. News of Bishop Williamson's dismissal from the Argentine seminary came after the pope and Chancellor Merkel had a "cordial and constructive" phone conversation, spokesmen for both said on Sunday. A joint statement issued Sunday by the Vatican and the chancellor's office said that both the pope and Merkel referred to Benedict's Jan. 28 remarks condemning Holocaust denial and expressing solidarity with Jews. A statement released Wednesday by the Vatican Secretariat of State called on Bishop Williamson to recant his comments. In a rare case of the Vatican's diplomatic arm furthering remarks by the pope, the Secretariat of State also made clear that the traditionalist bishops would not be welcomed back into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church unless they accepted the liberalizing teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Last week's statement by the Secretariat of State seemed to repair relations with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, which plans to continue its dialogue with the Vatican, said its director general, Oded Wiener. The body had asked to postpone a March meeting with the Vatican in protest. Vatican officials are expected to meet Thursday with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella organization.
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