Numerous Slovak public figures and politicians condemned the Trnava-based Archbishop Jan Orosch's recent comments on the victims of the shooting that took place outside a gay bar in Bratislava last month. Subsequently, the archbishop apologized for his words. Orosch doubted the innocence of the victims in a private circular for priests, with Dennik N daily receiving an excerpt of the letter from a disgruntled priest and reporting on it. At the same time, Orosch also asked if there have ever been any drug raids at the gay bar. The police have strongly objected to the circular, claiming that parts of it grossly distort the circumstances of the attack.
Prime Minister Eduard Heger called the statement "unfortunate". “Any expressions of intolerance need to be eradicated from our lives as well as pulpits, Culture Minister Natália Milanová said in her reaction to the remarks. According to the police, the Archbishop's letter contains parts that grossly manipulate the terrorist attack on Zámocká Street, stigmatize two innocent victims and deny the Christian faith itself. On the other hand Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár vulgarly criticized the reaction of the police. "Put this crap in your a…," he wrote on social media. Opposition MP Tomáš Taraba said that the politicized police are waging an ideological war with the church.
Source: TASR
