Berlin  - The German wing of the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) declared Thursday its support for Bishop Richard Williamson, whilst distancing itself from his anti-Holocaust rhetoric.

Asked if someone who denied the destruction of Jews by the Nazis could still be a brother, German SSPX superior Father Franz Schmidberger said, "as long as he recognizes the Catholic dogmas. Yes, of course."

Speaking in an interview with German SWR television to be aired Thursday, Schmidberger dissociated himself with Williamson's claim that Jews were not killed in gas chambers.

However he said this was to be considered as a separate matter from the pope's readmission to the church of four SSPX bishops, of whom one is Williamson.

Schmidberger spoke against a dialogue between Christians and Jews, saying this was not a road to salvation. "Christ deliberately sent his apostles into the world, in order to convert all the world, including the Jews, to him," he said.

Pope Benedict's decision last month to re-admit Williamson, along with three further bishops illicitly ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, caused an uproar, especially in the pontiff's native Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel added her voice to the debate Tuesday, when she called on the pope to speak out bluntly on Williamson's denial that the Nazis killed 5 million to 6 million European Jews during the Second World War.

The SSPX superior criticized the involvement of Merkel, a Lutheran. "She doesn't understand it," Schmidberger said. "After all, she is not Catholic and it's not really her business to get involved in the internal matters of the church."

Following Merkel's remarks, the Vatican Wednesday issued a statement saying the ultra-conservative Bishop Williamson needs to distance himself "clearly and publicly" from remarks he made denying the Holocaust, before he can "assume functions" within the Roman Catholic Church.

The SSPX brotherhood has its roots in the decision, by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, to reject the liberalization of the Catholic church during the Vatican Council of 1962-65.

When Lefebvre disobeyed orders by Pope John Paul II and consecrated Williamson and three other men as bishops, they were all excommunicated from the church.

The Vatican estimates that SSPX has around 600,000 members in the world, while 1.1 billion people are described as Roman Catholics. dpa