Williamson Richard Nelson

Richard Williamson

Bishop Richard Williamson: Bishop Richard Williamson of the SSPX passed away this morning (25-01-2025) after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Pray for the repose of his soul! Eternal rest grant unto thy servant, Bishop Richard Williamson, O Lord. Let him enter into the place of refreshment, light, and peace. 

May his soul and that of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

Richard Nelson Williamson (8 March 1940 – 29 January 2025) was an English traditionalist Catholic bishop. He was known for being against the changes in the church brought about by the Second Vatican Council. In 1988, Williamson was one of four Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) priests illicitly consecrated as bishops.

Early life: Williamson was born on 8 March 1940 in London[9], England. Williamson attended Winchester College before studying at Clare College, Cambridge, where he received a degree in English literature.

Career: After graduating, he taught at a college in Ghana for a short time. He was originally an Anglican but became a Roman Catholic in 1971. He became a member of the Society of Saint Pius X, as he was against liberalism in the Second Vatican Council.[10] In 1976, he became a priest after being supported by Marcel Lefebvre. Williamson moved to the United States and became rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1983.

Controversial views (Holocaust denial): A controversial figure, Williamson has said that he believed that no more than 200,000 to 300,000 Jews were killed during the Holocaust and that Nazi Germany did not use gas chambers. Because of this, he was charged with and convicted of Holocaust denial by the district court of Regensburg, Germany. Pope Benedict XVI did not know Williamson's views when he ended his excommunication. He later said that Williamson would remain suspended from his episcopal role until he changed his Holocaust views. In 2010, Williamson was convicted of incitement in a German court about those views. He was convicted again on this charge in a retrial in early 2013.

Conspiracy theories: Williamson supports conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and that the World Trade Center was destroyed on purpose by the U.S. government. He has also said that the 7 July 2005 London bombings were an "inside job" and believed there was going to be a nuclear attack on the London Olympics in 2012. In Argentina, Williamson became a cult figure for the far-right seminarians.

Death: On 25 January 2025, Williamson was hospitalized in Margate, England after having a brain hemorrhage. He was given his last rites at the hospital the same day. He died four days later on 29 January, at the age of 84.