Other viral livestreams of his feature hardline views about American and Russian politics, as well as the claim that Satan founded the United Nations.

Speaking on Joe Biden’s US election win in one of his sermons posted to TikTok, Emmanuel said: “100 per cent it was rigged by the secret societies”.

Last year, a US podcast host published a lengthy interview with Emmanuel, in which one portion was tagged “Woke Pope” and another “Mohammed failed”.

Emmanuel made comments suggesting religious figures from other faiths, including Islam, mistakenly tried to abide by a set of rules or laws, which was contrary to the message of Jesus. He also suggested Islam failed to recognise the distinctiveness of Jesus as the one true prophet, while at the same time warning Christians against becoming fanatical.

In a later video, he said his “beloved Muslim world” had been upset by the interview.

“I love you, and I will always love you, and I pray for you, and I will always continue to pray for you, whether you like me, hate me, accept me or reject me,” he said.

He followed by saying: “When you compare your leader, whether it’s Muhammad, whether it’s Buddha, whether it’s Krishna, whether it’s whoever it is, with all love and respect, I’m saying this, when you compare him to Jesus Christ, there is no comparison.”

Emmanuel had previously preached at St Zaia’s Cathedral at Middleton Grange in western Sydney.

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But the church’s committee president Khamiss Khamiss told this masthead that Emmanuel had split with the church several years ago and was no longer recognised by the Ancient Church of the East denomination.

Khamiss said he was not making any criticism of the bishop or his new church. “We feel sorry for what happened to the bishop,” he said.

Emmanuel’s new church, Christ the Good Shepherd, is strongly centred around the figure of Jesus Christ, and describes itself as an Orthodox Assyrian church.

“The world bombards the human race with so much information, quite often we lose our orientation in discerning the lie from the truth,” the church website says.

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Our Lord invites us all even today to come into the truth, for this truth is not a statement being written, is not a speech given, it’s not a song being sang but rather this truth is the person of Christ ‘I am The way, The Truth and The Life’ – John 14:6.”

with Clare Sibthorpe

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