Pope made football fan to the new auxiliary bishop of Linz
The avowing football supporter of Austrias Premiere League club “LASK” was pastor in Upper Austria, and designated to the new auxiliary bishop of Linz on the 31th January by the pope. His name is Gerhard Maria Wagner, and he was born 1954 in Linz.
Austrian medias and pious fellow believers of the Roman Catholic church reacted with confusion and anger. “The nomination of Gerhard Maria Wagner for the new auxiliary bishop of Linz was the last straw that broke the camel’s back”, says Hans Peter Hurka, who is the chairman of the religious club “We Are Church”.
Hurka believes that the new bishop won’t build bridges between different opinions inside the church. “He is just a lobbyist for the minorities”, he confirms.
Hurkas religious club “We Are Church” was founded in 1995, and wants to gain power in the Roman Catholic church. The club demands equal rights of men and women in all administrative bodies of the church, and also more liberal sexual ethics.
Even the minister president of Upper Austria, Josef Pühringer, was not happy about this decision. He criticised the pope as well, and claimed that “Rome has a wrong view of the church in Upper Austria.”
Upper Austrias local newspaper writes about a “chorus of outrage”, “shock”, and a “slap in the face.” In todays issue of Austrias biggest newspaper “Kronen Zeitung”, the new bishop is posing with a black and white football scarf of Austrias Premiere League club “LASK” around his neck. LASK is the most traditional football club in Upper Austria, and takes the 7th place of 10 teams in Austrias Premiere League at the moment.