California Pastor Glad Those Who Were Shot at Nightclub Had Died

California Pastor Glad Those Who Were Shot at Florida Nightclub Had Died

At Least 50 Dead In Mass Shooting At Gay Nightclub In Orlando

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A few short hours after 49 people were gunned down at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, Pastor Roger Jimenez delivered his sermon from his Sacramento pulpit.

“Hey, are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today? No … I think that’s great. I think that helps society. I think Orlando, Florida’s a little safer tonight,” he said to the crowd of believers in front of him.

A link on his church’s Facebook page, Verity Baptist Church, directed viewers to the sermon on YouTube.

“It is unnatural for a man to be attracted to another man,” he said as he preached for more than an hour.

“The tragedy is that more of them didn’t die,” he said.

For members of Sacramento’s LGBTQ community, religious freedom is sacred, but leaders feel a vile line has been crossed.

“We as the gay community support you should be able to worship as you see fit, but it’s when you use the pulpit to incite violence or demean or discredit another class of people, just utter disgust,” said Donald Bentz, executive director of Sacramento’s LGBTQ Community Center.

FOX40 reached out to Jimenez at his church, by phone and at his home Monday to no avail.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson took to Twitter to express his feelings: “The hateful comments made by a preacher in Sacramento do not reflect Christian values and have no place in our society.”