Richard Williamson embarrassed pope with Holocaust denial

Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist Catholic bishop, passed away at the age of 84 in England after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He died on January 24, 2023, and the Society of St. Pius X announced his death on Thursday, January 26. Williamson was originally consecrated as a bishop in 1988 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who opposed the Second Vatican Council, and was excommunicated alongside other bishops for performing this act without papal consent. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI attempted to reconcile with Williamson and the breakaway society by lifting the excommunications, a move that led to scandal when Williamson made anti-Semitic statements in a television interview, denying the existence of gas chambers during the Holocaust. This incident created a significant embarrassment for Pope Benedict, who later admitted mistakes were made in handling Williamson's case. Williamson had a contentious relationship with the Society of St. Pius X, ultimately being expelled in 2012 for insubordination. In 2013, he was fined in Germany for his Holocaust denial remarks. His death marks the end of a controversial figure in traditionalist Catholicism, whose denial of historical atrocities created rifts within both the Catholic Church and broader society. His legacy is entwined with the complexities of Catholic traditionalism and the Church's relationship with modernity, particularly concerning its dealings with Judaism after the Second Vatican Council.