Fellay had attacked the Vatican for the “excessive sensibility” shown to the Jewish world following comments made by a Holocaust-denying priest. Fellay’s comments were part of an interview with the Italian news agency Apcom.

Fellay is superior general of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (SSPX), which has been frequently accused of Anti-Semitism for amongst other matters, its renunciation of Vatican II.

“The whole tone of Bishop Fellay’s interview is insensitive and borders on Anti-Semitism,” said Rabbi Arye Goldberg, Deputy Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe.

The Rabbinical Centre of Europe is an organization dedicated to meeting the religious and spiritual needs of Rabbis and their communities in Europe.

“Pope Benedict did the right thing in reversing his decision on Williamson, the Bishop who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust. It sends out a strong message that Holocaust denial will never be tolerated nor forgiven. We are entitled to be super-sensitive about it, and will always react when it risks becoming downplayed,” Goldberg continued.

Richard Williamson was roundly condemned for his Holocaust denial several years ago, and at the time had been excommunicated. However Pope Benedict sought to lift the excommunication ban last year, only to be met with immediate uproar from Rabbis around the world. Benedict responded by publishing a letter acknowledging “his mistake.”

Williamson was welcomed into the SSPX when he was excommunicated from the mainstream Catholic Church.

Fellay was also reported to have claimed that he was “embarrassed” by the Vatican’s actions during the Williamson affair.

“We always considered it bad enough that a priest would dare to deny the Holocaust. We were extremely appreciative of the Vatican’s strong stance on this matter”, said Goldberg. “That a Bishop should come along and try to pour cold water onto that, only adds insult to injury!”

The interview also contained a call by Fellay for Jews not to concern themselves with Church matters. This referred to an outcry over a prayer that called for Jews to convert to Roman Catholicism.

“To say as Fellay did, that “˜Catholicism is not our religion and we should leave them alone,’ is fair enough,” added Goldberg. “But the Holocaust is very much a part of our history and our reality and he should leave that alone.”