Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI has restructured a church commission in charge of stalled negotiations with a rebel ultra-traditionalist Catholic group, placing it under the authority of the Holy See's main disciplinary watchdog body, the Vatican announced Wednesday. The Vatican published a copy of Benedict's Apostolic Letter in which he specifies how the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" now becomes dependent upon the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Earlier this year, Ecclesia Dei and its former president, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, drew criticism from both outside and within the Church for its handling of relations with the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).
Benedict, apparently acting upon the commission's recommendations, in January lifted 1988 excommunication orders against four SSPX bishops, including British-born Richard Williamson whose comments denying the scale of the Nazi mass murder of Jews were broadcast at around the time.
A row ensued with many Jews, but also Catholics and government officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, demanding an explanation.
Benedict subsequently reiterated the Catholic Church's condemnation of Holocaust denial and admitted the Vatican had made mistakes in handling the Williamson case and more broadly, negotiations with the SSPX.
In the Apostolic Letter published Wednesday, Benedict traced the history of SSPX's split with the Vatican, as well as recent concessions made in a attempt to bring the rebel group back into the mainstream church.
The German-born pontiff said in the letter he still intends to show "paternal solicitude towards the Society of Saint Pius X, with the aim of rediscovering the full communion of the Church."
In June, in what was seen as a rebuff of the Benedict's overtures, the SSPX ordained three priests in Germany despite prior warnings from the Vatican that such action would be considered "illegitimate."
Benedict has stated that SSPX members are to be barred from official roles within the church unless they agreed to fully abide with its teachings.
Such teachings included the so-called Second Vatican Council reforms of the 1960s, when local languages replaced Latin in the mass liturgy - something which the SSPX opposes.
