The Lifting of the Excommunications of Bishops Ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre


Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations   Volume 4 (2009): SJU Panel CP 1 

 
 
            

      CONFERENCE PROCEEDING

The Lifting of the Excommunications 
of Bishops Ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre: 

A Briefing and Panel Discussion 

  Philip A. Cunningham, Director, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations, SJU 
   Michael J. Carroll, Director, Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs,  
                                  Archdiocese of Philadelphia 
   Alan Iser, Executive Committee, Philadelphia Board of Rabbis; 
                                  Adjunct Instructor, SJU and Villanova 

Presented at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA, February 3, 2009 

  

 

On January 21, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of four bishops who had 
been ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). 
These 1988 ordinations violated a papal prohibition, resulting in the excommunications of all    
involved. The SSPX rejects the ecumenical and interreligious outreach of the Second Vatican 
Council, which it believes contradicts Catholic "Tradition."  It had requested the lifting of the     
excommunications, but had not renounced its rejection of the Council. 
  
 
One of the four bishops, Richard Williamson, gave an interview in which he denied that the 
Shoah (Holocaust) had resulted in the deaths of six million Jews in gas chambers. This added to 
the controversy over the Pope's action, which for some called into question his commitment to a 
vigorous implementation of the Second Vatican Council declaration, Nostra Aetate. Rabbinical 
bodies in several countries, including Israel, Germany, and Italy, have withdrawn from scheduled 
events with the Catholic Church. 
 

To update the St. Joseph’s University community on these developments, the Institute for     
Jewish-Catholic Relations at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA sponsored this panel 
discussion to explore the controversy.  

 

  Video Presentation: http://rehost.sju.edu/ramgen/SJUevents/JewishCathfeb3.rm

  PowerPoint Presentation: http://www.sju.edu/academics/centers/ijcr/pdf/SPXX.pdf

  

SJU Panel, Lifting Excommunications SJU Panel CP 1                http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol4 

http://rehost.sju.edu/ramgen/SJUevents/JewishCathfeb3.rm
http://www.sju.edu/academics/centers/ijcr/pdf/SPXX.pdf