Manny Pacquiao Posts Bible Verse That Says Men Who Have Sex With Men Are To Be Put To Death

Manny Pacquiao has found himself at the center of fresh controversy after posting a Bible verse saying homosexual men should be killed. The post on the boxer's Instagram page appeared just hours after he issued a groveling apology for saying gays were worse than animal  which led to him being dropped by sponsor Nike.

Written alongside a since-deleted picture showing Pacquiao with wife Jinkee, he quotes Leviticus, saying: '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.'

In the post Pacquiao also quoted a passage from Luke which seemed to be aimed at critics who blasted his initial comments. He wrote: “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and reject you and insult your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets”.

Pacquiao has been in the media spotlight since Tuesday when he was being interviewed on a TV show in his home country of the Philippines, where he is running for parliament. When he was asked about his views on gays, he said: “It's common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? 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”

The born-again Christian apologised for his controversial opinions, though he reiterated his anti-gay views. He took to his Facebook page to write: “I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what The Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I'm praying for you”.