Richard Williamson said if he had known the full harm his comments would cause, he would not have made them.

He said that his opinions had been formed "20 years ago on the basis of evidence then available".

However, Jewish leaders said the bishop failed to address the issue of whether he believed the Holocaust was a lie.

Renzo Gattegna, the president of Italy's Jewish Communities, described the apology as "absolutely ambiguous".

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