A prominent leader of the Ukrainian church who had declared in the past that the COVID-19 pandemic was “God’s punishment” for same-sex marriage testified positive for the virus.
Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Orthodox Church-Patriarchate of Kiev, would be solid and in treatment. The church announced in a Facebook post on September 4 that Filaret had tried COVID-19.
“His Holiness Patriarch Filaret is especially grateful to all who show his love and help in prayers for his health,” the church said on a Tuesday.
“Today, Patriarch Filaret’s health is stable, the remedy continues. We ask you to continue to pray for His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, so that the Lord God All Merciful and Almighty may heal the Patriarch and heal him from his illness.
The 91-year-old man made headlines in March when he told a Ukrainian television channel that the coronavirus crisis was “God’s punishment for the sins of men, the sin of mankind. “
“First of all, same-sex marriage,” he added.
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Ukrainian LGBTQ organization Insight sued the leader for his comments, saying his comments could fuel hatred and discrimination. The trial required an apology from Filaret and a retraction from him and the television station, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported.
“Our purpose is to show others that there is no more room for such statements from church leaders in Ukraine,” Olena Shevchenko, director of Insight, told the organization in April.
Amnesty International Ukraine condemned Filaret at the time.
“Such statementsArray . . . they are very destructive, as they can lead to a build-up of attacks, assaults, discrimination and acceptance of violence opposed to certain groups,” said Maria Guryeva, the organization’s spokesperson, at the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The church responded to the trial by saying, “As head of the church and as a man, the patriarch has the freedom to express his opinions, which are about morality. “
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kiev Patriarchate is one of the largest Christian denominations in the country. Members of the Kiev Patriarchate accounted for about 25% of Ukraine’s 27. 8 million Orthodox believers in 2016, according to the Ukrainian tank Razumkov Center .
Same-sex relationships are legal in Ukraine, the country does not lately recognize same-sex marriage, according to the LGBT Equaldex database site. International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).
On Wednesday, there were more than 143,000 cases shown of COVID-19 in Ukraine and nearly 3,000 others died.
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