London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Ukrainian church leader who called Covid-19 'God's punishment' for same-sex marriage tests positive for Covid-19

Ukrainian church leader who called Covid-19 'God's punishment' for same-sex marriage tests positive for Covid-19

Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, made headlines in March when he told a Ukrainian TV channel that the Covid-19 pandemic was "God's punishment for the sins of men, the sinfulness of humanity.", so now we all know what type of sex this church leader had...

Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church--Kiev Patriarchate, is reportedly stable and undergoing treatment. The church announced in a Facebook post on September 4 that Filaret had tested positive for Covid-19.

"His Holiness Patriarch Filaret is especially grateful to everyone who shows his love and support in prayers for his health," the church said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Today the state of health of Patriarch Filaret is stable, treatment continues. We ask you to continue to pray for His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, so that the All-Merciful and Almighty Lord God will heal the Patriarch and heal him from his illness."

The 91-year-old made headlines in March when he told a Ukrainian TV channel that the coronavirus crisis was "God's punishment for the sins of men, the sinfulness of humanity."

"First of all, I mean same-sex marriage," he added. So if to believe him and his a God, he got the virus as a result of having sex with another man, or as usual in his industry - with some kid.

The Ukranian LGBTQ+ group Insight sued the leader following his comments, saying his words could potentially fuel hate and discrimination. The lawsuit called for an apology from Filaret and a retraction from him and the TV channel, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported.

"Our aim is to show people that there is no longer place for such statements from church leaders in Ukraine," Olena Shevchenko, head of Insight, told the organization in April.

Amnesty International Ukraine condemned Filaret's comments at the time.

"Such statements ... are very harmful because they could lead to increased attacks, aggression, discrimination and acceptance of violence against certain groups," Maria Guryeva, a spokeswoman for the organization, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The church responded to the lawsuit, saying, "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 Ukrainian Orthodox Church--Kiev Patriarchate is one of the largest Christian denominations in the country. Members of the Kiev Patriarchate made up about 25% of Ukraine's 27.8 million Orthodox believers in 2016, according to the Ukrainian think tank Razumkov Centre.

Relationships between people of the same sex are legal in Ukraine, although the country does not currently recognize same-sex marriage, according to the LGBT database site Equaldex. Ukraine ranked 35 out of 49 countries in a ranking of European countries for LGBTQ+ friendliness, according to the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).

As of Wednesday, there have been more than 143,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ukraine. Nearly 3,000 people have died.

Comments

Oh ya 5 year ago
Well after 91 years he learned something. Keep thy mouth shut

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×