Swedish church once declared Greta Thunberg 'successor' to Jesus of Nazareth

Greta Thunberg, the outspoken 16-year-old climate change activist, is the second Christian messiah, according to one Swedish church.

A tweet from Limhamns Kyrka Church in Malmö, Sweden, resurfaced in recent days after Thunberg garnered international attention for her impassioned climate change speech at the United Nations last week.

"Announcement! Jesus of Nazareth has now appointed one of his successors, Greta Thunberg," the church wrote on Twitter last December.

At the time, the tweet was so controversial that it forced the church to clarify its theological views and stop using the social media account altogether.

"Dear twitter, If we have hurt someone we apologize, it has never been our meaning. Our meaning has been to talk about Jesus Christ in our own way. Now we leave the arena. Thank you for your commitment, joy and debate. God bless you! Jonas Persson, ward pastor," the church said, according to the Washington Examiner.

But the backlash did not stop the church from bolstering support for Thunberg.

Last week, for example, the church announced it would rings its church bells to show support for the Global Climate Strike, a movement connected to Thunberg.