Manny Pacquiao has become embroiled in further controversy after posting a biblical verse which says gays are to be “put to death”.
The champion boxer who is also a politician in his native Philippines has already been dropped by his sponsor, Nike, for a previous homophobic rant.
Having apologised for his previous outburst, Pacquiao, then took to Instagram to post a biblical quote.
Citing Leviticus 20:13 from the Old Testament, he wrote: “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable … If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
ABS CBN news reported that the post, in which the 37-year-old boxer is pictured with his wife, Jinkee, attracted 18,000 likes before being removed, having been online for two hours.
Pacquiao, who intends to pursue a full-time political career after his final fight in April, is running for the Philippines’ senate and has insisted that his political career was guided by God.
But his campaign has been punctuated by controversial outbursts including describing gays as worse than animals in a television interview.
“Do you see animals mating with the same sex?” he said.
“Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female.
“If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals.”
He did apologise for his remarks, but there is growing unease at Pacquiao’s intemperate outbursts in the country.
It is believed that Pacquiao, a national hero having been a world champion at eight different weights, sees his senate campaign as a stepping stone to the country’s presidency.
telegraph.co.uk
