What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Priest Pricks Children With Pin

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 17, 2005
 
The Catholic Diocese of Austin is investigating after a priest called about 15 children to come forward during evening Mass so he could prick them with an unsterilized pin to demonstrate the pain Jesus suffered during crucifixion.

"What I was trying to teach them is that suffering is a part of life," said the Rev. Arthur Michalka, 78, on Friday....

Helen Osman, communications director for the Austin diocese. Osman said that the priest pricked both adults and children.
...

Dr. Ed Sherwood, health authority for the Williamson district, said the likelihood of transmitting blood-borne diseases by a pinprick is "real but quite small." He said the risk would increase if adults and children were pricked with the same pin because adults are more likely to be sexually active...

Michalka said he plans to apologize in church this Sunday for not sterilizing the pin.

"I didn't think it was that big a deal," Michalka said. "I can see the point now. I'll see to it that it doesn't happen again."

--CBS/AP

Well, a couple of years ago we had a senior Vatican spokesman insisting that HIV can pass through latex condoms, which is utter nonsense, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that a priest wouldn't realize that an idiotic stunt like this could transmit disease.