SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 BY MICHAEL STONE
When In Doubt, They Blame The Gays: Ukrainian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Filaret contracts coronavirus after blaming gays for the virus. The church leader who recently claimed COVID-19 was “God’s punishment” for same-sex marriage has been hospitalized after testing positive for the virus.
ABC News reports:
Leading Ukrainian religious figure Patriarch Filaret has contracted coronavirus, after blaming gay people for the disease. The 91-year-old, who is the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, is currently hospitalized with pneumonia.
Filaret caused controversy earlier this year after he made comments about the coronavirus being a result of gay marriage. He told Ukrainian national TV network Channel 4 in March that the pandemic was “God’s punishment for the sins of men. First of all, I mean same-sex marriage.”
Metro UK reports:
Patriarch Filaret, 91, is in hospital in a stable condition after he was diagnosed with Covid 19 during routine testing… he has also developed pneumonia.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirmed the diagnosis in a statement posted to Facebook:
We inform that during planned testing, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kiev and All Rus-Ukraine tested positive for COVID-19. Now His Holiness Bishop is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Last March Patriarch Filaret made headlines after blaming gays for the coronavirus, at one point declaring:
I mean same-sex marriages first and foremost […] are the cause of coronavirus
At the time the patriarch was condemned for his bigotry. For example, Maria Guryeva, a spokeswoman for Amnesty International Ukraine, said:
Such statements are very harmful because they could lead to increased attacks, aggression, discrimination and acceptance of violence against certain groups.
More reactions to the story via Twitter:
Bottom line: Ukrainian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Filaret contracts coronavirus after blaming gays for the virus.
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