Orlando shooting: Tragedy is that more of them didn’t die, says US pastor

Even as the world continues to mourn the killing of 49 people in Orlando in one of America's worst massacres, a Baptist preacher in the state of California has defended the incident.

Delhi: Even as the world continues to mourn the killing of 49 people in Orlando in one of America's worst massacres, a Baptist preacher in the United States has defended the incident.

As per a report in The Washington Post, Pastor Roger Jimenez said in a sermon that the tragedy was that 'more of them didn’t die'.

Praising the shootout, Jimenez, from Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, is said to have referred to the Orlando victims as ‘sodomites’ and maintained that Christians shouldn’t be mourning their death.

He was quoted as saying - “People say, like: Well, aren’t you sad that 50 sodomites died? Here’s the problem with that. It’s like the equivalent of asking me, what if you asked me, hey, are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today? Um, no, I think that’s great. I think that helps society. You know, I think Orlando is a little safer tonight.”

“The tragedy is that more of them didn’t die. The tragedy is, I’m kind of upset that he didn’t finish the job," he further said.

Members of the LGBT community are not allowed to join Verity Baptist Church or attend its services.

The church’s 'what we believe' page states 'sodomy' (referring to homosexuality) as a sin.

It reads as follows - "We believe that sodomy (homosexuality) is a sin and an abomination before God which God punishes with the death penalty. No sodomite (homosexual will be allowed to attend or join Verity Baptist Church."

Early Sunday, a shooter named shooter Omar Mateen, had opened fire at a gay nightclub in Florida, leaving 49 people dead and 53 wounded.

The Afghan-origin youth was also killed when police stormed the Pulse, one of Orlando's most prominent gay venues.

(With Agency inputs)