A conservative pastor who suggested God punished New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina expressed relief Monday after passing up a papal promotion that had sparked an outcry from Austrian Catholics.Pope Benedict XVI promoted Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, to the post of auxiliary bishop in Linz on Jan. 31, causing an uproar from church groups and priests who argued he would push people to leave the church.
Late Sunday, he unexpectedly announced his decision to pass up the opportunity.
Wagner, among other things, has questioned whether Katrina was a result of "spiritual pollution" and has characterized Harry Potter novels as Satanic.
"I got up very relieved this morning ... I'm happy about this decision," Wagner told Austrian radio.
Wagner said he considered his decision to be in the interest of the church and that he looked forward to continuing his job as pastor in the Upper Austrian town of Windischgarsten.
Austrian bishops said after a special closed-door meeting Monday that it should be "out of the question" for the Pope to appoint bishops without consulting local parishes.
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(Source: AP)