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An Austrian priest who has been quoted as calling Hurricane Katrina God's punishment for sin in New Orleans, is being promoted to the rank of bishop. The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has tapped the Rev Gerhard Wagner, 54, to be auxiliary bishop in Linz, Austria. He has served since 1988 as a priest in Windischgarsten. In 2005 he was quoted in a parish newsletter as saying he was convinced that the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" for New Orleans' tolerance of homosexuals and laid-back sexual attitudes.
