15th May, 2012
Boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao, has come out swinging against US President, Barack Obama’s personal endorsement of same-sex marriage.
In an interview with the National Conservative Examiner, the religious Pacquiao said Obama’s view was nothing more than a direct attack on the morals of society and the will of God.
“God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they so are in love with each other,” he said.
“It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of old,” he added, citing the Bible.
Recently voted Forbes’ fourth most influential athlete, the Filipino described same-sex marriage as an “abomination” and went on to say that America should be the model of morality for other countries to emulate.
Pacquiao, currently the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion and regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, already has a burgeoning career out of the ring. He is a member of the Philippines legislature, hosts a weekly TV game show and has his own vegetable business. He is also hoping to become a leading Christian evangelist after having a religious “awakening.”
Last week Obama became the first US president to say publicly that he backed gay marriage. Although many politicians, showbiz celebrities and commentators have expressed views on the contentious issue, high-profile members of the sporting community have been largely silent.