(CBS NEWS) — A senior Orthodox religious leader in Ukraine has been hospitalized with the coronavirus months after calling the COVID-19 pandemic god’s punishment 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 allow me to get sick, because I have to serve the church.”
The Kyiv Patriarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has split from both the main Russian Orthodox Church and the wider Ukrainian church due to disagreements between Filaret and the other leaders , confirmed in a Facebook post Wednesday that the Patriarch was being treated for COVID-19, but “satisfactory” condition.
“We ask for holy prayers for the health and recovery of Patriarch Filaret,” the the Kyiv Patriarchy’s press service said in its Facebook post.
