Hopes and prayers may not be enough to keep Sacramento’s Verity Baptist Church at their current location. While Pastor Roger Jimenez’s hateful diatribe praising the Orlando mass shooting may keep the faithful in their seats, it’s about to get the church thrown out of their building.
The fire and brimstone preacher’s sermon after the Pulse nightclub attack quickly went viral when he took to the pulpit mere hours as news broke about the tragedy to applaud the shooter and urge the government to execute LGBT people.
Now the hate church’s landlord is taking a stand, saying they will not tolerate “tenants who advocate hatred and the taking of innocent lives.” While the church’s lease doesn’t expire until 2017, he property management company and owner of the building, Harsch Investment Properties, has announced they will not be renewing the congregation’s lease.
They’ve also had a meeting with Jimenez to consider moving out; the company said they wouldn’t impose a penalty for breaking the lease. The company cannot legally evict the church over the controversy.
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“We have many places of worship and other religious organizations in the properties we manage,” company officials stated in a press release. “Like all our tenants, their occupancy rights are protected in their leases.”
“Just as we respect the right of individuals to speak their views, as distasteful as they may be, we also respect the right of others to protest as a reflection of their values,” the release states. “For decades, the owners and staff at Harsch Investment Properties have supported the LGBT community and many other organizations whose missions are to further respect, dignity and the ability for all individuals to live their lives as they wish.”
“Are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?” the pastor said in the sermon. “Um no, I think that’s great! I think that helps society. I think Orlando, Florida is a little safer tonight.”
“We don’t need to do anything to help. As far as I’m concerned, Orlando is a little bit safer tonight,” he said. “If we lived in a righteous government, they should round them all up and put them up against a firing wall, and blow their brains out.”
