Sask. cabinet minister deletes 'pray and repent' tweet related to COVID-19

A Saskatchewan cabinet minister who tweeted an Old Testament passage in which God tells people to pray and repent to cure an epidemic says he deleted it out of concern it may have sent the wrong message.

Greg Ottenbreit, the minister of highways and infrastructuretweeted a photo early Saturday witha section of scripture highlighted and circled with the text "Pay Attention Children."

In that particular passage God says when he sends an epidemic onto his people, if they "pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing" they will be forgiven and their lands will be restored.

Ottenbreit saidin the tweet "I guess it worked a few thousand years ago ... couldn't hurt."

In a statement, the Yorkton-area MLA says his Christian faith is important to him and he intended to encourage those inclined to pray to do so.

He says he realized the picture framed it harshly and felt it could be interpreted to mean that's all one should do, which is why he deleted it.