Bishop who said gays should be executed won’t face hate crime charges
A Swiss bishop who called for the execution of gay people will not face hate crime charges.
Vitus Huonder, the Catholic bishop of Chur, eastern Switzerland, made the controversial comments earlier this year at the ‘Joy in Faith’ forum.
Quoting Leviticus, he said: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
“These passages alone suffice to clarify unambiguously the church’s position on homosexuality.”
Swiss LGBT organisation the Pink Cross filed a criminal hate crime complaint about the “shocking” comments.
However, the group’s suit was dismissed last week, with a court ruling there was not enough evidence to pursue a charge.
In a statement, the Pink Cross said it would pursue an appeal against the decision.
Huonder has claimed his comments had been “misunderstood” and that calling for gay people to be put to death “wasn’t my intention”.
However, the bishop has made similar overtly anti-LGBT since his appointment in 2007.
Earlier this year he called for a priest in Switzerland to be sacked, after he blessed a lesbian couple.
