Priest: Trump Protesters Should Commit Suicide

The New York Post reports:

The pastor of a largely immigrant Catholic church in Queens has a suggestion for his anti-Trump parishioners: Go take a flying leap off the nearest building. “Show your hate for Trump. Do it for social justice.

#JumpAgainstTrump,” read a meme posted by the Rev. Philip Pizzo just hours after he celebrated Sunday Mass. The message included an illustration of a man plummeting from a skyscraper.

The conservative priest, who oversees St. Benedict Joseph Labre Roman Catholic Church in Richmond Hill, previously posted a photo of President Obama with the words “He’s not my president’’ and another snapshot of Hillary Clinton titled “Ugly Face’’ in Italian along with “Happy Halloween.”

Pizzo, 67, told The Post on Monday that he just thought the “Jump Against Trump’’ meme was “funny.” “I do not promote suicide,’’ Pizzo insisted. “I’ve helped many people over the years, and it does not promote suicide. It was funny.”

But some parishioners were outraged. “Suicide is not funny, plain and simple,” said Carlos Coburn, a congregant who once sought counseling from Pizzo because he was struggling with thoughts about killing himself.

A spokesman for Rizzo’s diocese says his meme “does not, in any way, reflect the view of the church.” Rizzo’s image and others like it were widely spread on Twitter yesterday afternoon.