Church Leader Who Blamed COVID On Gay Marriage Tests Positive For The Virus

A Ukraine religious leader who claims same-sex marriage is the reason for the spread of COVID-19 has tested positive for the virus.

Patriarch Filaret, who heads one of the biggest Orthodox groups in Ukraine, is in hospital and in stable condition after doctors confirmed he had contracted the disease. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, too, Ukrainian news website 112.international said.

This is not the first time that the 91-year-old religious leader has created noise pertaining to the worldwide health crisis - which has claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people and sickened more than 140,000 in Ukraine.

Filaret is one of the most recognized religious figures in the country and claims to have 15 million followers. However, he earned the ire of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and queer communities in March after saying in a live television interview the pandemic was linked to gays and same-sex marriage.

The coronavirus pandemic, he said, is "God's punishment for the sins of men." Insight, Ukraine's LGBTQ rights organization, filed charges against Filaret in April after his comments in what the LGBTQ group said was the first such lawsuit in the former Soviet nation.

According to the rights groups, the church leader's comments were "dangerous" and risked sparking hate and violence at a time when the pandemic had already creating worldwide fear and anxiety.

Amnesty International-Ukraine representative Maria Guryeva criticized Filaret and described his statements as very harmful because they could lead to widespread discrimination, aggression and violence.

Meanwhile, representatives for Filaret said his statements and views were consistent with the country's laws. The patriarch, they said, had the right and freedom to express his views, which are based on "morality."

Ukraine is not among Europe's most gay-friendly nations. In its yearly ranking of the region's most same sex-friendly counties, ILGA-Europe - a European LGBTQ rights organization - has listed Ukraine at 35 place out of 50 countries.