Richard Williamson was a British traditionalist Catholic bishop who became widely known for his involvement in controversies related to the Catholic Church and his public statements about historical events.
Williamson was one of four bishops consecrated in 1988 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without approval from the Vatican. The consecrations led to excommunications under Catholic canon law and deepened a division between the Vatican and the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist Catholic organization.
n a 2009 Swedish television interview, he claimed that the Nazis did not use gas chambers and that only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews died in concentration camps, rather than the widely accepted 6 million. He also promoted the theory that the Holocaust was created by Jews to force the world to approve the state of Israel. His remarks were widely condemned by governments, religious leaders, and Jewish organizations. Several courts in Germany later ruled that his statements violated laws related to Holocaust denial.
The controversy created difficulties for Pope Benedict XVI, who had recently lifted the excommunications of the four bishops in an effort to improve relations with the SSPX. Vatican officials later stated that Williamson would need to publicly distance himself from his statements before being allowed to exercise episcopal functions within the Church.
In the years that followed, Williamson increasingly disagreed with the leadership of the SSPX. He criticized attempts by the organization to improve relations with the Vatican and continued publishing commentary despite requests from superiors to stop. In October 2012, the SSPX expelled Williamson, citing disobedience and refusal to follow the authority of the organization's leadership.
After leaving the SSPX, Williamson became associated with a loose network of traditionalist Catholics sometimes referred to as the "Resistance." He continued to participate in religious activities outside the structures recognized by the Vatican.
He frequently referred to Jews as the "enemies of Christ," publicly promoted the forged antisemitic text The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and frequently assigned the blame for deicide to Jewish people
Beyond his denial of Nazi atrocities, he claimed that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 7/7 London bombings were inside jobs staged by Western governments.
Williamson strictly opposed modernism. He strongly condemned women wearing pants or attending university, and was critical of figures like Mother Teresa for holding supposedly "liberal" views. He also famously denounced the movie The Sound of Music as "soul-rotting slush"
Williamson remained a controversial figure throughout his later life. Supporters viewed him as a defender of traditional Catholic practices, while critics pointed to his historical claims, public statements, and conflicts with church authorities. He died in England on January 29, 2025, at the age of 84.
