During the early 2000s, SSPX and the Church leadership in Rome sought to heal the rift between them. Williamson opposed compromise, accusing the Vatican of deceit
Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of the four bishops
Marcel Lefebvre had consecrated, as they had requested. The decree was signed on 21 January 2009, the same day that Williamson's interview denying the Holocaust was broadcast on Swedish television. The decision stirred widespread outrage, Reaction from much of the worldwide Jewish community was strongly negative, and
Abraham Foxman, president of the
Anti-Defamation League, wrote to Cardinal
Walter Kasper in order to express his opposition to any ecclesiastic re-integration of Williamson. The
Chief Rabbinate of Israel suspended contacts with the Vatican. The Chief Rabbi of
Haifa told
The Jerusalem Post that he expected Williamson to retract publicly his statements before any dialogue could resume. Pope Benedict XVI responded by stating he deplored all forms of antisemitism and that all Catholics must do the same. The Pope expressed his "unquestionable solidarity" with the Jewish people, and stated his hope that "the memory of the Shoah will induce humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of hate when it conquers the heart of man", and condemned the denial of the Holocaust. Vatican officials stated that they had not been aware of Williamson's views prior to the lifting of the excommunication; as a result, in a July 2009 Vatican reorganisation, the Pope tightened control and supervision over reconciliation efforts with SSPX. The Vatican declared that "in order to be admitted to episcopal functions within the Church, (Williamson) will have to take his distance, in an absolutely unequivocal and public fashion, from his position on the
Shoah, which the Holy Father (i.e., the Pope) was not aware of when the excommunication was lifted.". Williamson sent the Pope a letter expressing his regret about the problems that he had caused, but did not retract his statements. On 4 February 2009 the Vatican
Secretariat of State issued a note stating that Williamson would have to distance himself unequivocally and publicly from the opinions that he had expressed before he would be permitted to act as a bishop within the Church. Williamson responded that he would do so only after looking at the historical evidence for himself. The Vatican rejected his apology, stating that he needed to "unequivocally and publicly" withdraw his comments. Jewish groups expressed disappointment at the ambiguity of his apology, because he failed to address the consensus about the Holocaust. Bishop Bernard Fellay of the SSPX initially denied any responsibility, stating that Williamson's statements were his alone and that the affair did not concern the SSPX as a whole. However, he subsequently forbade Williamson from speaking out publicly about historical or political matters, and asked Pope Benedict for forgiveness for the damage done by Williamson's statements. He stated that if Williamson again denied the Holocaust, he would be excluded from the society. In a subsequent interview he likened Williamson to uranium, asserting that "It's dangerous when you have it," but you can't "simply leave it by the side of the road." Williamson was removed as the head of the seminary in La Reja, Argentina in February 2009, On 24 February 2009, Williamson flew from Argentina to London, where he was met by
Michele Renouf, a former model known for her antisemitic views, with whom he had been put in touch by Holocaust denier
David Irving. Williamson subsequently repeated the denial to followers, stating that "The fact is that the 6 million people who were supposedly gassed represent a huge lie." ==Conviction for Holocaust denial==