THE GUARDIAN: New Catholic bishop called Katrina 'divine retribution' for New Orleans' permissive sexual attitudes
Pope Benedict XVI has made another controversial appointment by elevating to the position of bishop an Austrian pastor who said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for homosexuality in New Orleans .
The Vatican yesterday announced that Gerhard Wagner has been appointed as auxiliary bishop in Linz, Austria.
Wagner has served as the pastor of a church in the Austrian town of Windischgarsten since 1988, and received a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome.
In 2005, the 54-year-old was quoted in a parish newsletter as saying he was convinced that the death and destruction caused by Katrina that year was "divine retribution" for New Orleans' permissive sexual attitudes and tolerance of homosexuality.
Kath.Net, a Catholic news agency in Austria, said the newsletter quoted Wagner as saying that Katrina had destroyed not only nightclubs and brothels in New Orleans but also abortion clinics. >>> Mark Tran | Sunday, February 1, 2009
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