A prominent Ukrainian religious leader, who said earlier this year COVID-19 was "God's punishment" for same-sex marriage, has tested positive for the virus.
Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Filaret, seen here in Ukraine on May 15, 2019, said in March the pandemic was divine punishment for the "sinfulness of humanity." File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE
Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A prominent Ukrainian religious leader, who said earlier this year COVID-19 was "God's punishment" for same-sex marriage, has tested positive for the virus.
Patriarch Filaret, leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, was hospitalized and diagnosed with the disease last week, the church said.
The church said earlier this week the 91-year-old Filaret was in "stable" condition and is being treated for the illness.
In March, he told Ukrainian television that the pandemic was divine punishment for the "sins of men and the sinfulness of humanity."
"First of all, I mean same-sex marriage," he specified.
"As the head of the church and as a man, the Patriarch has the freedom to express his views, which are based on morality."
The Kiev Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church comprises 25% of the country's nearly 30 million Orthodox followers.
The church said shortly after Filaret's comments that they didn't violate any Ukrainian law.
ORTHODOXY IS MEDIEVAL
Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Filaret, seen here in Ukraine on May 15, 2019, said in March the pandemic was divine punishment for the "sinfulness of humanity." File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE
Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A prominent Ukrainian religious leader, who said earlier this year COVID-19 was "God's punishment" for same-sex marriage, has tested positive for the virus.
Patriarch Filaret, leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, was hospitalized and diagnosed with the disease last week, the church said.
The church said earlier this week the 91-year-old Filaret was in "stable" condition and is being treated for the illness.
In March, he told Ukrainian television that the pandemic was divine punishment for the "sins of men and the sinfulness of humanity."
"First of all, I mean same-sex marriage," he specified.
"As the head of the church and as a man, the Patriarch has the freedom to express his views, which are based on morality."
The Kiev Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church comprises 25% of the country's nearly 30 million Orthodox followers.
The church said shortly after Filaret's comments that they didn't violate any Ukrainian law.
No comments:
Post a Comment