(FiveNation.com)- A reporter who disparaged Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI after his passing appears to have been fired by Politico.
Pope Benedict passed away on December 31 at the age of 95. Eric Geller, a cybersecurity writer for Politico, made it evident that he was not crying for the late Catholic leader after hearing the news of his passing.
Geller tweeted, “Homophobic pedophile protector and Hitler Youth alumnus dead at 95.”
Geller received harsh criticism for the caustic tweet, which he later went back and removed.
Geller stated, “I deleted the insulting and irresponsible tweet regarding Pope Benedict.”
Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Politico Brad Dayspring referred to Geller’s tweet as “clearly violating our social media rules and being both false and offensive.”
A statement read that an internal review procedure determines whether corporate policies, including the social media policy, have been violated. Violations of company policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Based on his digital trail following his attack on Pope Benedict, Geller appears to have been fired as a result of his tweet.
Geller’s Twitter bio was modified to “journalist focused on cybersecurity and technology” from “cybersecurity reporter at @politico.”
Geller hasn’t had an article published since Dec. 21, according to his author biography on Politico’s website. Additionally, his LinkedIn profile said he left Politico in January 2023.
Dayspring declined to comment on “personnel or disciplinary matters” but noted Geller’s prior tweets and emphasized that what he tweeted “violated corporate rules” when questioned by Fox News Digital if Geller had been fired from Politico.
After the Germans forced all boys his age to enlist, Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) was forced into the Nazi army at the age of 16. He was later taken prisoner of war by American forces in 1945.
