The Rev. Billy Graham is sorry he called AIDS God's judgment against sinners.
"I remember saying it, and I immediately regretted it and almost went back and clarified the statement," Graham told the The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.Preaching to a crowd of 44,300 in Columbus two weeks ago, Graham warned against incurring God's disfavor.
"Is AIDS a judgment of God?" Graham asked. "I could not say for sure, but I think so."
Speaking from his home in Montreat, N.C., Graham said he didn't mean it.
"I don't believe that, and I don't know why I said it," he told the newspaper in a story published Saturday.
"To say God has judged people with AIDS would be very wrong and very cruel," Graham said. "I would like to say that I am very sorry for what I said."