Ukrainian Church Leader Who Blamed Coronavirus On Gay Marriage Tests Positive
91-year-old Patriarch Filaret, a a prominent Ukrainian church leader, tests positive for coronavirus after blaming the pandemic on gay marriage earlier this year.
News of Patriarch Filaret’s diagnosis was confirmed on Friday via Kyiv Patriarchate, the largest Orthodox Church in the country that Filaret’s leads. The church took to its website and Facebook and shared a follow-up statement on Tuesday, updating that their leader’s health was in “stable” condition with continued treatment.
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Prior to Patriarch Filaret’s diagnosis and recovery, in a March interview with a local Ukrainian TV station, he claimed the crisis was “God’s punishment for the sins of men and sinfulness of humanity.” He added, “First of all, I mean same-sex marriage. This is the cause of the coronavirus.” The country has since reported 3,000 deaths and more than 140,000 COVID-19 infections.
After his controversial comments, Ukrainian LGBTQ rights group Insight filed a lawsuit against him in April. The group’s leader, Olena Shevchenko, said, “Our aim is to show people that there is no longer place for such statements from church leaders in Ukraine.” In response to the lawsuit, the the Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate said, “As the head of the church and as a man, the Patriarch has the freedom to express his views, which are based on morality.”
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