Catholic League Defends Swiss Bishop Who Wants Gays Put to Death

A Swiss Catholic Bishop who has been criminally charged for "inciting people to crimes" for using Leviticus 20:13, which says that "if a man lies with a man as he lies with a woman...they shall surely be put to death," is getting support from Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who has trouble seeing the call to execute gays as hate speech.

"They want him behind bars," Donohue writes, referring to Bishop Huonder. "His offense? He quoted from the Bible. The accused: Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder. The accusers: gay activists in Europe and the United States."

Donahue continued in his support of the violence-inciting Catholic Bishop.

"He also criticized gender theory. Pink Cross, the umbrella group for Swiss LGBT groups, has now filed a criminal complaint against him. Citing the nation's hate speech laws, he is accused of fomenting violence against homosexuals," he said.

If found guilty, Bishop Huonder could serve up to three years in prison.

Donohue also said: "these same activists would like to arrest Pope Francis, if they could. After all, the Holy Father has quite openly condemned homosexuality and gender theory. Explicitly, he has labeled proposals to legalize gay marriage 'the envy of the Devil,' and has said, 'Gender ideology is demonic!'"

"Gay fascists are on the rise in North America and Europe," Donohue continued. "Their goal is to criminalize the Bible, and to destroy freedom of speech and religion."

Despite Donohue's support of his hate speech, the conservative Catholic Bishop issued an apology.

"I am sorry if my 50 minute lecture in Fulda on 2 August 2015, which dealt with the biblical basis for marriage and family, was understood as diminishing homosexual people."

"This was not my intention. During the lecture I quoted several uncomfortable passages from the Old Testament to do with marriage, sexuality and family. I want to clarify that I... would in no way wish to diminish homosexual people."

Towleroad notes that Huonder's anti-gay views run contrary to popular opinion in his home nation of Switzerland where over 50 percent of the nation's population supports gay marriage as of February 2015.