Buenos Aires  - A conservative Catholic bishop who is at the centre of a controversy over his denying the Holocaust was relieved as head of a seminary near the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, the DyN news agency said Sunday.

British-born Richard Williamson was sacked by Christian Bouchacourt, the head of the arch-conservative St Pius X Society for Latin America, the report said, citing a faxed message by the group. There has been no official confirmation.

Williamson's earlier excommunication by the Catholic church was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI last month, a move that lead to a wave of protests from Catholics and non-Catholics alike and is believed to have put a strain on relations between the Holy See and members of the Jewish faith.

The 68-year-old bishop, who has been in charge of a seminary in the village La Reja near Buenos Aires since 2003, rejected demands by the Vatican for him to withdraw his denial of the systematic massacre of Jews during World War II. (dpa)