“To deny the Holocaust is unacceptable and is absolutely not the position of the Catholic Church,” he said, adding that the bishop’s remarks were “foolish.”

British-born Bishop Richard Williamson of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X has claimed that the Holocaust was exaggerated and that no Jews died in Nazi gas chambers . He repeated his position in a Swedish television interview recorded last November but aired Jan. 21 — on the same day Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication against Williamson and three other bishops who had been ordained against papal orders in 1988 by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The Vatican made the decree public Jan. 24.

The Vatican released a statement Jan. 27 from the head of the Swiss-based society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, who apologized for the damage caused by Williamson’s remarks and said they in no way reflect the society’s positions.

“We ask forgiveness of the pontiff and of all people of good will for the dramatic consequences of this act,” Fellay wrote. He said he had prohibited Williamson from speaking publicly on political or historical questions “until further orders.”

“While we recognize that these remarks were inopportune, we cannot help but note with sadness that they have directly struck our society, discrediting its mission,” he said.

Jewish groups expressed shock that after  Williamson’s comments were televised the Vatican would still lift the excommunication against him. Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League , said in a Jan. 24 press release that the Pope’s decision “undermines the strong relationship between Catholics and Jews” and was “a most troubling setback.”

He said the ADL was “stunned the Vatican ignored (its) concerns” after it wrote a letter Jan. 23 to Kasper saying lifting the excommunication against a bishop who minimized the Holocaust and rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council would “become a source of great tension.”

Kasper, co-chairman of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee, told La Repubblica he could see how Williamson’s opinions could “cast a shadow over (Vatican) relations with Jews, but I am convinced dialogue will continue.”

The cardinal said removing the excommunication against the British bishop and the bishop’s comments were two completely separate issues. By lifting the excommunication, he said, the Pope was removing an obstacle to the Vatican’s dialogue with the society.

The Vatican said the decree removing the excommunication, signed Jan. 21 and made public three days later, marked an important step toward full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Lefebvre in 1970. It said some questions remain unresolved with the society, including its future status and that of its priests, and that these issues would be the subject of further talks.

“The Holy Father was motivated in this decision by the hope that complete reconciliation and full communion may be reached as soon as possible,” a Vatican statement said.

Fellay had requested the removal of the excommunication in a letter Dec. 15. Fellay wrote that he and the three other bishops illicitly ordained in 1988 were determined to remain Catholic and accepted the teachings of Pope Benedict “with filial spirit.”

The Vatican said the Pope had responded positively to the request in order to promote “the unity in charity of the universal church and succeed in removing the scandal of division.”

In a letter published after the Vatican announcement, Fellay said his society was eager to begin talks with the Vatican about the causes of the “unprecedented crisis” shaking the church.