SSPX row for dummies

OK, not just for dummies but for anyone who is slightly confused by the whole thing. First off, the glossary of terms:

SSPX = Society of Saint Pius the Tenth. Here's a link to their UK office. Essentially they are a Catholic off-shoot, who don't believe in anything remotely modern. Amusingly, their website describes them as "without any trace of modernist doctrine, morals or worship". I presume they mean modern morals and modern worship. Essentially this means they oppose Vatican II.

Vatican II = the second vatican council. A three year process within the Catholic church in the 1960s that reformed some stuff. Like most Catholic doctrine, if you don't believe it you're not considered a Catholic by the Pope.

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre = Chap who founded SSPX, and a highly controvertial character in the Catholic church, and didn't buy into Vatican II. Died in 1991.

Bishop Richard Williamson = Excommunicated in 1988 when he was consecrated Bishop by Archbishop Lefebrvre, as this was not authorised by the Pope. Denied the holocaust in November 2008.

Excommunication = getting chucked out of the church.

So, the story is essentially a very uninteresting one, whereby a hardline Catholic group have been allowed back into communion with the Catholic church by the Pope, even though they still have a few doctrinal differences. All very dull. But what gives it a bit more interest is that one of the SSPX Bishops denied that the holocaust took place or that the gas chambers existed. The very latest on the story is that the Bishop concerned (Bishop Williamson) seems to have lost his job within SSPX, but not his position. There are also rumours that he's dying of cancer.

Mouse thinks that this has already taken up far more column inches in the Christian blogosphere and old media than it deserves, so I won't be mentioning it again (unless something really interesting happens). If you're interested Damian Thompson seems to keep an up-to-the-minute commentary on the topic in his blog.

I'm afraid for me its just another demonstration of what's wrong with public debate on religion in this country - the media is only interested in gossip, splits, and debates on sexuality and women bishops.