Oy vey. Benedict has just appointed a new auxiliary bishop in the Austrian diocese of Linz–the Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, who thinks Katrina was punishment for New Orleans’ sins (and he hates “Harry Potter”, too). As Rocco notes, Linz is known as a “liberal” diocese so maybe Wagner is supposed to bring the wayward flock around. He’ll need lots of luck–and to stay away from Louisiana, with comments like these, from the AP account:
A 2005 report by Kath.Net, a Catholic Austrian news agency, said Wagner had characterized Katrina as divine retribution in a short essay in a parish newsletter.
Wagner wrote that people should ask themselves whether the ”noticeable” increase of natural disasters such as Katrina was a result of pollution caused by humans or the result of ”spiritual pollution,” according to a copy of the essay published Sunday on Kath.Net’s Web site.
”This was not the sinking of just any city but that of a people’s dream city with the ‘best brothels and prettiest prostitutes,”’ he wrote.
Wagner told The Associated Press on Sunday he had ”never talked about divine retribution” per se, describing his 2005 writing as simply an attempt to lay out the connections between events.
Wagner seemes to know the city intimately. He added, “The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable.” But of course he tried to do his best. More comments here:
After the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, he again commented: “It’s no coincidence that in New Orleans all five abortion clinics as well as night clubs were destroyed.”
And he asked: “Is the noticeable rise in natural disasters a consequence of environmental pollution or rather of spiritual pollution?”
And as the BBC’s David Willey reports, Wagner has also “accused the popular Harry Potter novels of spreading Satanism.” That’s something Benedict might relate to, as noted here…
Quite a guy. He adds that he will keep speaking out: “In the future, I will keep expressing myself.”
Stay tuned…
posted February 1, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Wasn’t Linz the boyhood home of Adolph Hitler? I wonder if there is something in the soil around there.
posted February 1, 2009 at 9:32 pm
WOW! Looks like Benny picked yet another winner!! That is as good as bringing the Bishop from Boston to the Vatican to work, after he (Bishop Lay?)didn’t do anything to stop the molesting priests.
posted February 1, 2009 at 10:26 pm
And Linz, like all of Austria and all of Germany, is the home of legalized prostitution. If the Pope’s new appointment is to be believed, however, the Austrian prostitutes must be more functional than pretty.
posted February 1, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hi Pagansister,
Benny? Bishop Lay??? You kill me ;o)
Actually, bringing Cardinal Law to the Vatican made sense. I think they have him buried in the bowels of the Vatican Archives counting paper clips.
A more thoughtful analysis of how God manifests His wrath can be found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 1. Repeatedly, he says that God abandon’s the perverse to their passions. Hopefully, when one has suffered the full consequences of one’s perversity, they will come to their senses.
Once, the Chaplain from Notre Dame University told me that the young men spend Saturday nights sowing their wild oats and Sunday mornings praying for a crop failure.
God’s wrath is more practical in a Pauline analysis than a meteorological temper tantrum. Pope Benedict is a good man and a good theologian. I’ll cut him some slack here. Every family has an Uncle Louie.
All the Best!
posted February 1, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Ah, yes! So this Bishop believes that God beats his people into shape by killing them and destroying their property. The Pope really is into fundamentalism, isn’t he. “Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, it’s good enough for me.”
posted February 1, 2009 at 11:23 pm
OK, based on this premise, all of the lawsuits brought against the RCC are God’s judgement against the RCC and their constant prevention of change and growth. A foolish statement? Yes, but then so is the Bishop’s. This choice does not speak well for b16′s selection process. But he had not be scoring many great hits lately.
posted February 2, 2009 at 9:48 am
It is because of people who hold sentiments like this that I left the church, I refuse to be part of an institution that endorses hate and prejudice. In light of current events it seems I made the right decision.
posted February 2, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Is this some kind of sick joke? You say your Who? You acutually believe that God would cause death and destruction to his people, did’nt he already die for our sins?