Church leader who blamed COVID-19 on same-sex marital relationship has the virus

Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv’s Patriarchy speaks throughout an interview in Kyiv, December 1, 2017.

GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty.

A senior Orthodox spiritual leader in Ukraine has been hospitalized with the coronavirus months after calling the COVID-19 pandemic God’s penalty for humanity allowing the “evil” of same-sex marriage Patriarch Filaret, who leads one of the biggest denominations of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, also said in March that God “will not permit me to get ill, due to the fact that I have to serve the church.”

The Kyiv Patriarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has actually divided from both the main Russian Orthodox Church and the wider Ukrainian church due to arguments in between Filaret and the other leaders, confirmed in a Facebook post Wednesday that the Patriarch was being dealt with for COVID-19, but was in “satisfactory” condition.

Filaret, 91, is a powerful figure in the Ukrainian church, which has actually been a driving force behind anti-LGBTQ rights sentiments in the country.

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Britain’s Independent newspaper reported that Patriarch Filaret’s remarks during a March TV interview prompted the Ukrainian LGBTQ rights group Insight to threaten a lawsuit against him, declaring discrimination and the promo of hatred. He was never ever prosecuted.

Amnesty International’s branch in the nation also condemned the remarks, according to The Independent, cautioning it might prompt violent attacks and additional discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in Ukraine.

In his March interview with Ukraine’s Channel 4, Filaret said “the reason for the coronavirus is the sinfulness of humankind. They do not freely safeguard good, however safeguard evil. Evil is spreading out. I imply, first off, same-sex marital relationship– this is the cause of the coronavirus and more. Children are taught to select their gender. Is this excellent?! This is wicked.”

He likewise defended his decision, as the scale of the pandemic became clear around the globe, to continue utilizing a shared spoon to provide communion to his parishioners.

” Now there is a conversation; is it possible to take communion from one spoon? I ask the question: Do you believe that this is the blood and body of Jesus Christ? If you do not think, then do not take communion. And if you do, then how can you get these viruses from Christ? Difficult,” he said.