Bishop who linked gay pride deaths to divine punishment 'misinterpreted'

AN AUSTRIAN bishop has claimed comments he made in which he appeared to suggest that those who died at a gay pride festival in Germany were victims of divine punishment were misinterpreted.

Andreas Laun, the auxiliary bishop of Salzburg, moved to quash mounting criticism of references he made last week on the Kath.net website about those who attended the fatal festival in Duisburg last month, where 21 people were killed and 500 injured in a stampede.

Bishop Laun, apparently, linked the fatalities to God's right to punish those who turn their back on their faith in an article which was entitled The Love Parade equals sin, equals misfortune, equals the punishment of God.

However, now Bishop Laun has said that this was not his intention, stressing that "no one should judge the dead."

However, he stood by his his description of the Love Parade as a "rebellion against nature and God's order, which are sins and invitation to sin".