Humm so the Catholic church makes this guy a bishop??

Gotta wonder what God's punishment for molesting children and covering it up is?

If there's a hell...

Oh never mind....

Cleric who said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for homosexuality is made bishop by Vatican

By Nick Pisa
Last updated at 10:30 AM on 02nd February 2009

The newly-appointed Bishop of Linz, Gerhard Maria Wagne, who made headlines in the past when he condemned JK Rowling's Harry Potter books and suggested in 2005 that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment

The newly-appointed Bishop of Linz, Gerhard Maria Wagner

An Austrian cleric who said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for the homosexual sins of New Orleans has been made a bishop by the Vatican.

Reverend Gerhard Wagner was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI just days after controversial British bishop Richard Williamson, who has said 'no one had died in the gas chambers' during the Holocaust, was allowed back into the Catholic Church.

The wisdom of the Vatican was again being questioned following Wagner's appointment as the Bishop of Linz with Italian newspaper La Stampa labelling it a 'controversial'.

Rev Wagner, 54, caused outrage when he was quoted in his local parish newsletter as saying that the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina was 'divine retribution' for New Orleans' tolerance of homosexuals and laid-back sexual attitudes.

In 2001 Wagner slammed Harry Potter books as 'satanic'.

His appointment was criticised by Austrian priests.

Father Franz Wild said: 'I hope the church realises that we live in the 21st century and that the church must live in that period, too.'

Amen to that!

Wow. What were they thinking?!

I am not at all suprised by this, the pope we have now is still living in the past. We've had some really controversial church leaders of all faiths in the last 20 years, they are thinking rovian style politics worked for Bush why not them. And it just might if people stay apathetic and naive to what is happening. Hell I just started paying attention about 6 years ago and am astonished by what has been going on behind the scenes in the religious right.

Boo,

Are you saying that this isn't unusual?

This particular pope has made the issue of homosexuality a bigger deal than the last pope, or at least it seems that way, I could be wrong but I don't remember the last pope as adamant about it as this one, so making this appointment is not surprising considering how this pope is.. is that clearer? It's late and my mind is starting to shut down..lol

The man he chose in this article is not right in the head! How could the Pope not know it?! If he did know it, that's scary!!!!

Well this pope isn't either, so they should advance their agenda quite nicely to a stressed out population. These are naturally good times for the church, when people are anxious about the future, and worried that we are being taken over by the un-believers.. ugh

The last pope was tame compared to this one I think. But what do you want from someone of his generation anyway....

More wisdom, maybe.

Yes interesting isn't it. You would think that at his age he would have learned so much more about life, but we have to factor in programing and the whole church drama and authority. People with power and influence especially in the church will never give up their control of people's lives, because 'their' way of life depends on it.

They aren't going to give up their cushy lives for the education of the common people in things that would make them question their own faith. Faith is what keeps people coming back. If he changed his attitude, then people would question his authority and we can't have that, other wise people might start thinking they don't need a church to know what's right and wrong. I said I was going to sleep, ack it's way late.

I was going to post link after link here of cases of sexual abuse, pedophilia, abuse of trust, complicity and denial in acts of ethnic cleansing, participating in and holocaust denial, obscene expenditures of monies tithed by decent people, bastard children of Popes and clergy, abuse of women and children, political manipulation....I could go on...by the Catholic church but honestly...there isn't enough room on this forum for them.

This is (or likely is since it's true assets are unknown) the richest institution on earth.

It appears to be so. The assets and real estate holdings must exceed those of Standard Oil, A.T.&T., and U.S. Steel combined according to some sources who have evaluated the church for bond issues and legal judgments in sex abuse scandals.

But...the church needs money...what are the choices? Close churches where good people who still have faith worship or buy another set of red shoes?

I am disgusted by nearly every action of the church....the church that has been the church of my mother' family for as long as they can remember. So disgusted that I was the first person in my families memory to not be married in the church.

Given the compelling body of evidence and the admissions of the few brave clergy or former clergy who have chosen to tell the truth....there seems little doubt that the church knows full well about the abuses in their ranks. The Pope himself has admitted abuses took place....but...

The whole think makes me want to throw up.

A corrupt institution that presumes to speak for God.

Well for me, my distaste for christianity started with the catholic church but most of them are about money in the end.