Conflict Between Filaret And Epiphanius on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
In 2018,
Filaret (primate of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP; uk, Украї́нська Правосла́вна Це́рква – Ки́ївський Патріарха́т (УПЦ-КП), Ukrainska Pravoslavna Tserkva — Kyivskyi Patr ...
) and
Metropolitan Epiphanius (primate of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
) came into conflict over disagreements concerning the model of governance, the management of the diaspora, and the name and the charter of the newly-formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The conflict started during the process of the
granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and continued after the reception of the ''
tomos
Tomos ( sl, link=yes, Tovarna, Motorjev, Sežana, "Motorcycle Company Sežana") was a moped manufacturer based in Koper, Slovenia. It was founded in 1948. Tomos acquired a production license from Puch to produce moped models under the Tomos name ...
'' (official decree) of autocephaly of the OCU in January 2019. It resulted in the departure of Filaret, along with two bishops and a dozen priests, from the OCU on 20 June 2019 after a Local Council convened by Filaret, returning to an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate.
Filaret's demands
Diaspora, Holy synod, primate role
There were numerous things with which
Filaret did not agree in the
OCU
OCU may mean:
*Ohio Christian University
*Oklahoma City University
*Operational conversion unit, a unit in an air force
*Operational Command Unit, a unit in a police force
*Operator Control Unit, a hardware or software control interface for an auto ...
. Filaret wanted:
# To reorganize the
Holy synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
of the OCU by having 12 permanent appointed members of the holy synod instead of 3.
# To lead the OCU together with the Metropolitan,
Epiphanius, and claims it was agreed so before the
unification council.
# That the OCU be able to take care of the
Ukrainian Orthodox diaspora.
# That the OCU be able to make its own
myrrh.
# That the
Ecumenical Patriarchate should not have a say in the internal conflict of the OCU.
OCU's name
Filaret told members of the media department of the dissolved
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP; uk, Украї́нська Правосла́вна Це́рква – Ки́ївський Патріарха́т (УПЦ-КП), Ukrainska Pravoslavna Tserkva — Kyivskyi Patr ...
(UOC-KP) to convey the message that the
OCU
OCU may mean:
*Ohio Christian University
*Oklahoma City University
*Operational conversion unit, a unit in an air force
*Operational Command Unit, a unit in a police force
*Operator Control Unit, a hardware or software control interface for an auto ...
was not a new church and that the
tomos of autocephaly was given to the UOC-KP. Filaret also instructed them to "eradicate" the name "Orthodox Church of Ukraine" because The Orthodox Church in Ukraine' means that this is not the ruling Church, but only one of the Churches in Ukraine ... And we are the ruling Church in Ukraine." This discussion between Filaret and the members was recorded and the pro-Moscow anonymous ''Union of Orthodox Journalists
'' shared the recording on its website on 23 January 2019.
On 23 January 2019, Filaret declared in an interview given to the
Federal News Agency that the OCU should be called "Ukrainian Orthodox Church". He says the origin of the name of the OCU is due to the fact that "there is an Orthodox church in Constantinople, and then they go
exarchates_dependent_on_Ecumenical_Patriarchate_of_Constantinople.html" "title="Exarch#Eastern Orthodox Churches">exarchates dependent on Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople">Phanar
Fener (; Greek: Φανάρι, ''Phanári''; in English also: Phanar) is a quarter midway up the Golden Horn in the district of Fatih in Istanbul, Turkey. Its name is a Turkish transliteration of the word "phanarion" (Medieval Greek: Φανάρι ...
]: the Orthodox Church in America, Canada, Europe, Australia - and the Orthodox Church in Ukraine". Filaret declared the OCU "should be called as all churches are called, and not be led by the Greeks".
We want to be an
autocephalous
Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern O ...
church — just like all other Orthodox churches, no more and no less. We do not want neither more nor less. And we are grateful to Constantinople for the fact that Patriarch Bartholomew
gave us a tomos of autocephaly, he has undergone much for this. But, having received a tomos of autocephaly, we must be an autocephalous church. Professor also supported Filaret, saying that "under no condition should we use the Orthodox Church in Ukraine or of Ukraine in press. Only the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and only with the possessive case."
Rising tensions
Deal at the unification council
On 15 December 2018, the
hierarchs
An ordinary (from Latin ''ordinarius'') is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws.
Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ...
of the
UAOC
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; uk, Українська автокефальна православна церква (УАПЦ), Ukrayinska avtokefalna pravoslavna tserkva (UAPC)) was one of the three major Eastern Ortho ...
decided to dissolve the UAOC, and the hierarchs of the
UOC-KP decided to dissolve the UOC-KP. This was done because on the same day the
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; uk, Українська автокефальна православна церква (УАПЦ), Ukrayinska avtokefalna pravoslavna tserkva (UAPC)) was one of the three major Eastern Orthod ...
, the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP; uk, Украї́нська Правосла́вна Це́рква – Ки́ївський Патріарха́т (УПЦ-КП), Ukrainska Pravoslavna Tserkva — Kyivskyi Patr ...
, and some members of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church ( uk, Українська православна церква, Ukrainska pravoslavna tserkva; russian: Украинская православная церковь, Ukrainskaya pravoslavnaya tserkov', UOC), common ...
were going to merge to form the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
(OCU) after a unification council. The unification council elected
Epiphanius as its primate.
On 22 December 2018,
Filaret declared that if he had run for the role of primate of the
OCU
OCU may mean:
*Ohio Christian University
*Oklahoma City University
*Operational conversion unit, a unit in an air force
*Operational Command Unit, a unit in a police force
*Operator Control Unit, a hardware or software control interface for an auto ...
at the
unification council, Ukraine would never have got a ''tomos''. On 20 January 2019, Filaret declared, concerning
Epiphanius: "I supported him and fought for his candidacy, because among all the young bishops I see him as the most worthy to be the primate of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church
The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first Chr ...
."
explained on 15 May 2019 in an appeal the conditions of the council. According to Filaret, the agreement reached at the unification council was as follows: "the
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
is responsible for the external representation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and the patriarch is responsible for the internal church life in Ukraine, but in cooperation with the primate. The primate shall do nothing in the church without the consent of the patriarch. The patriarch chairs the meetings of the Holy Synod and the UOC meetings for the sake of preserving unity, its growth, and affirmation." Filaret considers this agreement has not been fulfilled.
This deal was confirmed by .
However it is denied by .
Filaret also said he was asked by the
Ecumenical Patriarch not to put forward his (Filaret) candidacy at the council, and that , who chaired the council, asked him not to wear the
koukoulion
The koukoulion (Greek: κουκούλιον; Slavonic: ''kukol'') is a traditional headdress worn by monks and certain patriarchs in Eastern Christianity.
History
Related to the western cowl, it was the cap worn by Orthodox monks. It is shown ...
; Filaret was also asked to nominate any bishop for the post of primate. Filaret agreed to the demands and said he chose "humiliation" in order for the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
to
get the tomos.
After the unification council
Filaret was given the title of the "honorary patriarch" of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
after the
council.
Volodymyr Burega, Professor and Vice-Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy, explains this title in this way: "in December
018 no one wanted to aggravate relationships with Patriarch Philaret, since holding the
council and
receiving the Tomos were at stake. That is why the
council, which took place on December 15, did not clarify the new status of Patriarch Filaret. After the unification council of the OCU, they stated that Filaret was henceforth "honorary patriarch", but what this phrase meant was difficult to understand. Indeed, such status is not stipulated in the Charter of the OCU, adopted on December 15."
On 16 December 2018, during a divine liturgy in which he came wearing the
headgear of a patriarch, during his homily, Filaret declared he was still patriarch: "The Patriarch remains for life and, together with the Primate, governs the Ukrainian Orthodox Church". After the mass, he was acclaimed by the hierarchs of the church as "great vladyka and father Filaret, the holiest patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine-Rus and sacred archimandrite of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra".
After receiving the tomos
According to
Epiphanius, a conflict had already started on 6 January after the
tomos
Tomos ( sl, link=yes, Tovarna, Motorjev, Sežana, "Motorcycle Company Sežana") was a moped manufacturer based in Koper, Slovenia. It was founded in 1948. Tomos acquired a production license from Puch to produce moped models under the Tomos name ...
was received.
The first meeting of the
Holy synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
of the OCU was very tense. Moreover,
Filaret demanded for the members of the synod not be appointed according to the statute and the
tomos
Tomos ( sl, link=yes, Tovarna, Motorjev, Sežana, "Motorcycle Company Sežana") was a moped manufacturer based in Koper, Slovenia. It was founded in 1948. Tomos acquired a production license from Puch to produce moped models under the Tomos name ...
of autocephaly of the OCU, but for members of the former Holy synod of the
UOC-KP be appointed instead. In the end, the members of the holy synod were appointed following the statute and tomos.
On 15 March 2019, Filaret declared that at the next local synod the OCU should change its charter, saying: "The most important thing is to change the number of permanent members of the Synod. We need not three of them but many more, like 12."
On 3 April, of the OCU wrote a text in which he said there was an attempt by the young bishops of the OCU to overthrow Filaret.
Beginning of risks of schism
Filaret's St Macarius celebration
On 8 May 2019, Filaret sent invitations to former
UOC-KP bishops for a meeting to celebrate St Macarius on May 13–14, but did not send an invitation to Epiphanius.
On 9 May, Filaret declared the UOC-KP still existed: "the Kyiv Patriarchate has not been liquidated. It is not liquidated. They want to present the situation as if it was liquidated. The Kyiv Patriarchate can be liquidated by the one who created it".
On 10 May, Filaret sent an invitation to Epipnanius; Filaret said he did not send an invitation to Epiphanius because since
Epiphanius' election (five months) Epiphanius has not celebrated
divine liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...
alongside Filaret.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate told ''BBC Ukraine'' about the situation when asked to comment: "This is terrible!"
Filaret also stated to
1+1
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
: "There is a patriarch, since there is a patriarch, it means there is a patriarchate, there is the Kyiv Patriarchate, and therefore it is not necessary to return the patriarchate, it is and must be".
Asked by ''TCH'' if he admits that such actions could lead to a split in the church, Filaret said: "I admit, but we will create a single church - the Kyiv Patriarchate, necessarily."
gave an interview "connected with the rumors that Patriarch Emeritus Filaret wants to convene a Local Council in the beginning of summer with a view to change the Charter of the OCU and reassume the patriarchal status". In this interview, Epiphanius said that changing the charter of the OCU could mean a loss of the tomos, he also wrote on his Facebook page: "the return to the previous structure of the Kyiv Patriarchate means returning to isolation, loss of tomos and all the achievements of church independence."
On 13 May, Filaret admitted a split is possible inside the OCU.
The Assembly of bishops to revise the tomos needs either to be convoked by the primate (Epiphanius), the Holy Synod of the OCU, or 1/3 of the total of the bishops of the OCU. Filaret maybe aimed for the third option.
''BBC Ukraine'' said that Filaret could possibly count on the support of , who had been forced by Filaret to give up his candidacy at the unification council,
and is very influential within the OCU.
The assembly of 14–15 May was seen as the first stage to revise the charter,
as a "parade of forces" to see how many bishops would support revising the charter. However, only 4 bishops came, and Mykhayil did not come.
Mykhayil was in
Vinnitsia to help
Metropolitan Simeon
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
.
During Filaret's sermon on 14 May he said: "We will continue to fight for a single local Orthodox Church, independent of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, or from
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
".
Still on 14 May, a rally to support the unity of the OCU took place outside of Filaret's residence; the rally had been organized by the public organization Corps of Defenders of the Revolution of Dignity. On the same day, in an interview given to ''Interfax-Ukraine'', Epiphanius said there was "no schism".
Filaret's appeal
On 14 May 2019, Filaret published an appeal. In his appeal he said the OCU faced "separation, diarchy, which can lead to sad consequences".
He added:
He also said in his appeal that the Kyiv Patriarchate "was and will be", Filaret also said that giving up the status of patriarchate was a demand of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in order for the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant a tomos to a Metropolis which was part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Filaret said that therefore "giving up on the status of patriarchy was purely situational".
Moreover, Filaret also said that at the next meeting of the Holy Synod of the OCU, said synod would arrange Filaret's retirement, and that "Moscow is satisfied with the state of affairs in the UOC (OCU). What they could not achieve through various efforts, they are now achieving through the actions of the
OCU head."
On the same day he made a press conference, in which he said:
On an interview published on 15 May, said there will be no split and that Filaret's holy synod reforms were not supported.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew told BBC Ukraine on 15 May that there was no patriarch of Kyiv because "there never was".
During the same press conference, he said: "I do not believe that Tomos will be withdrawn because the withdrawal of Tomos will strike at the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself." Concerning the holding of the Local Council of the OCU, which Filaret, accor wants to convene to change the Charter of the OCU and then proclaim the Patriarchate, Filaret said it depended on the Synod of the OCU: "When the Synod will be determined, then it will be." At the same time, Filaret did not specify how many OCU bishops supported such an idea: "I am not interested in how many bishops support me in this."
15 May, wrote on his Facebook page: "In his appeal, Metropolitan Filaret refers to the arrangements that he claims to have guaranteed his participation in the administration of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine after receiving the Tomos of autocephaly, suggesting that Metropolitan Epiphanius would renounce most of his powers in favor of the "honorary patriarch." However, it was reported that no such decisions were known to exist during the unification council that took place on December 15, 2018. Neither Metropolitan Filaret, nor Metropolitan Epiphanius, nor President Petro Poroshenko did inform the Council about such agreements."
On 16 May, Advisor of the then-President Poroshenko gave an interview in which he said that if the conditions set out in the tomos were not violated, said tomos would not be taken away.
On 16 May, Epiphanius gave an interview to BBC Ukraine. In it, he said that the OCU will never go back to the old model of governance Filaret wants, and that there was no other mecanism to convey a council besides the primate or the holy synod. In the same interview, Epiphanius announced that the next Holy Synod meeting of the OCU would be on 24 May.
On 17 May, "
e press service of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU) gave an official clarification regarding the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. The document states that on December 15, 2018, the UOC-KP terminated its independent activity and all its fullness became part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, according to the decision of its own Local Council."
On 17 May, of the OCU came out in support for Filaret.
On 22 May, Filaret assured a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that he was supporting Epiphanius.
Makariy declared in an interview published on 23 May that neither the
UAOC
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; uk, Українська автокефальна православна церква (УАПЦ), Ukrayinska avtokefalna pravoslavna tserkva (UAPC)) was one of the three major Eastern Ortho ...
nor the UOC-KP had been dissolved: "Some government officials spoke incorrectly when they publicly declared that the Kyiv Patriarchate was liquidated." He explained that Philaret submitted only copies of documents, not the originals necessary in order to liquidate the UOC-KP. Macarius added: "When I was asked to hand over the documents for liquidation, I replied that until I see the originals from the other side, I will not turn in mine."
Holy synod of the OCU
On 24 May, the meeting of the holy synod of the OCU was held. During the meeting, hundreds of people, mostly
elderly, were near from where the meeting was taking place to show their support to Filaret by waving banners and shouting slogans.
According to Epiphanius, Filaret did not sign to follow the OCU charter of 15 December 2018, while all the other members of the holy synod did, and during the synod Filaret said the UOC-KP still existed. He also said that all members of the holy synod had tried to tell Filaret that "de jure and de facto there is no Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate".
After the meeting of the holy synod, Filaret declared: "The decisions of the Synod, if they do not contradict the canons and the interests of the Ukrainian church, will be fulfilled, and if they do harm to the Ukrainian church, I will not fulfill them," and "I will defend the Kyiv Patriarchate to the end!"
On 24 May, Filaret said they "didn't know what was written" on the tomos until the unification council was done; Filaret added: "We accept the tomos and thank for it. But we accept the part where we are recognized as an autocephalous church."
On 25 May, Filaret went to the
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery where he congratulated Epiphanius for his
name day
In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of a ...
and said: "Our main task is to unite all Orthodoxy of Ukraine into a single Local Orthodox Church. If we achieve this, it will mean that Ukraine is invincible because it has a solid foundation". On the same day, Filaret gave interview in which he said that the 24 May holy synod was "aimed at the destruction of the Kyiv Patriarchate" and that "
w there is an influence on
our primate of these pro-Moscow forces that have entered. And their task is to destroy the Kyiv Patriarchate."
On 25 May, of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate answered allegations from Filaret by saying that "All the accusations that
he OCU'sPrimate is surrounded by some pro-Russian forces is a myth. Metropolitan Epifaniy is a young and powerful person that we support together with all Ukrainians."
Suspension of the rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy
On 28 May,
Filaret issued a document with the forms and the seal of the
Kyiv Patriarchate to suspend , priest and rector of the . Oleksandr was at that time considered as Epiphanius' right arm.
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
was at the time Filaret's diocese - except the
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery - according to the decision of the 5 February 2019 holy synod of the OCU.
On 29 May,
Epiphanius issued a document stipulation that after 30 January 2019, all documents "on behalf of the religious association of the UOC-KP, which ceased its activities" are invalid, and that until the next holy synod the parish of Oleksandr Trifimlyuk would be directly subordinated to Epiphanius.
On the same day, Filaret immediately responded by sending a letter to Epiphanius, saying the latter violated canon law by welcoming clergy from the Kyiv diocese (diocese which belongs to the jurisdiction of Filaret
) into his (Epiphanius) jurisdiction.
On 31 May, the
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Bartholomew ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος, ; tr, Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inte ...
made an address to the , in which Bartholomew said: "As for Filaret, he was restored to his episcopal dignity as former Metropolitan of Kyiv. The so-called 'Patriarchate of Kyiv' does not exist and never existed".
On 1 June 2019, Bishop of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
said on his Facebook page that, according to calls he received from priest-rectors of the churches of Kyiv, Filaret asked all his priests of Kyiv to come at his residence on Monday 3 June 2019 at 11 o' clock. The callers said Filaret would force them to sign an oath to the Kyiv Patriarchate and to Filaret as Patriarch. Bishop Adrian said he advised the priests to decide themselves whether they want to follow Filaret or not.
On 3 June 2019, an assembly of priests took place at Filaret's residence in Kyiv. Allegedly, they were asked not to talk about what happened during the meeting and did not sign any document; almost all priests of Kyiv came to the meeting.
One priest who came to the meeting said they discussed convening a local council.
On 4 June, the OCU released on its
Youtube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel a video of Filaret dissolving the KP.
On 5 June, some of Filaret's declarations at the 3 June meeting were revealed by TSN. Filaret said:On 5 June, the press service of the Kyiv Patriarchate, "
connection with the mass media dissemination of a great deal of distorted news", released a statement explaining why the Kyiv Patriarchate still exists, acknowledging the documents of the KP's dissolution.
In an interview extract of Epiphanius by ''
Ukrinform
The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...
'' published on 5 June, Epiphanius said concerning convening a local council: "A few months ago, we held a
Unification Local Orthodox Council at which we almost unanimously adopted the Charter of this Church. There is no urgent need to convene
nother Local Councilnow."
Kyiv Patriarchate Forum, announcement of the KP Local Council
On 7 June, the
UOC-KP announced a forum of intellectuals would take place on 11 June; the title of the forum was "For the Ukrainian Orthodox Church! For the Kyiv Patriarchate!" According to the ''RISU'', this forum is an act which "obvious
y falls within the scenario of reinstating the Kyiv Patriarchate.
On 11 June, before the beginning of the forum,
Filaret clarified that he will convene a council of the Kyiv Patriarchate on 20 June 2019: "We are convening the Local Council which will not uphold the decision of the
Council held on December 15, 2018. It means it is not mandatory for us. This will show that the Kyiv Patriarchate has existed, still exists and will continue to exist. We have scheduled the Council for June 20."
Filaret said during the forum: "We do not accept this Tomos because we did not know the contents of the Tomos we were granted. Had we known its content, we would not have voted for autocephaly on December 15. For we don't have to rush from one dependence to another. The Moscow Patriarchate serves the interests of Moscow, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine serves the Greeks. And who will serve Ukraine?"
Filaret also said
Epiphanius was "a servant of the Ecumenical Patriarch. He put the Greek as a vicar bishop so that he could observe and hand over information to the Ecumenical Patriarch to give instructions through him of what to do."
In an interview given the same day to ''Glavcom'', Filaret said the main reason why Epiphanius was trying to liquidate the UOC-KP was in order for Epiphanius to take the UOC-KP's money. Filaret explained that he had been told by
Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...
that he (Filaret) would be leading the OCU "just as you did it before, while Epiphany
piphaniuswould represent the Church on the outside". Filaret also stated that the
OCU
OCU may mean:
*Ohio Christian University
*Oklahoma City University
*Operational conversion unit, a unit in an air force
*Operational Command Unit, a unit in a police force
*Operator Control Unit, a hardware or software control interface for an auto ...
was not independent for three reasons: first and foremost because the OCU cannot make its own
myrrh ("the Church that does not have such a right is not independent" he says), second because it cannot have dioceses outside of Ukraine, and thirdly because it agrees that the
Ecumenical Patriarchate can solve problems which arise within the OCU.
In another interview given the same day to the TV channel ''Present Time'', Filaret reaffirmed that he disagreed with those three points (myrrh, diaspora and appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate).
According to the UOC-KP, two students of the who had gone to the 11 June Kyiv Patriarchate Forum have been expelled from said academy on 11 June "for participating in activities aimed at causing a split of a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine".
Filaret concerning the tomos and the OCU
On 12 June, in an interview with ''
Ukrainian Radio
Ukrainian Radio ( uk, Українське радіо) is the publicly funded radio broadcaster in Ukraine since 1924. In 2017 has been merged with national TV company into country's public broadcaster Suspilne. ,'' Filaret said:
Filaret also said concerning the future of the UOC-KP: "At first it will be small, but this Kyiv Patriarchate is certain to grow again to become a large one. Because the Ukrainian people demand an independent church." He also declared that the OCU was "a purely formal association." Filaret also said the UOC-KP Local Council of 20 June would be legal and that the Kyiv Patriarchate continued to exist.
Warning from the OCU, invitations to the Local Council
On 14 June,
Epiphanius officially warned
Filaret that the latter had not rights to convene a Local council of the UOC-KP. Epiphanius wrote: "The voluntary and non-statutory conduct of an assembly of a group of unauthorized persons -- such assembly being referred to as the Council -- will constitute the
church split and the secession of organizers and participants of such meetings from the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
with all canonical and legal consequences". Epiphanius also wrote the Kyiv Patriarchate had ceased to exist on
15 December 2018.
On the same day, Epiphanius said in an interview that the Kyiv Patriarchate had been dissolved and that now Filaret "can only talk about the creation of a new structure with the old name".
On 14 June, Filaret sent invitations for the Local Council of the UOC-KP.
On 18 June, Epiphanius said the OCU would render its judgement concerning Filaret's council at the end of June and the Filaret's council would be "a meeting with no canonical status." On the same day, the OCU asked
military chaplain
A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.
Although the term ''cha ...
s not to take part in Filaret's council.
On 19 June, of the OCU announced that on 20 June a forum on the importance of the unity of the Ukrainian Orthodox church would take place.
Filaret's Local Council
Local Council
On 20 June 2019, the Local Council took place, at the
St. Volodymyr's Cathedral. Only two bisops came: and his vicar, bishop who head parishes of the
UOC-KP in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
. A dozen priests also came at the council.
In the same day the Patriarch Emeritus of Kyiv, Filaret (Denysenko) consecrated as bishops two priests that have been expelled from the Ukrainian autocephalous church: the Archimandrite Andriy (Marutsak) and the Hieromonk Ilya (Zelensky). The holy service took place in the Kyiv’s Saint Sophia's Cathedral and had as its co-consecrators the Metropolitan of Belgorod, Joasaph (Shibaev), and the Bishop of Valujsk, Petr (Moskalev). The latter was expelled from the autocephalous Church.
Since the Ukrainian autocephalous Church "is approved by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church", the consecration of two priests expelled by the autocephalous Church has been seen as a patriarchal
schism.
The Local Council approved a resolution saying the council abrogated the decisions of the
unification council. The resolution also stated that "
e UOC-KP continues to be the owner of all funds, all property (
movable and
immovable) purchased
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
its own money or transferred to it by state authorities or local government bodies". The resolution also said that the tomos of autocephaly of the OCU placed the OCU in dependence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The resolution also stated that the council thanked
Patriarch Bartholomew
Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is
the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''pr ...
"for his attempts to resolve the Ukrainian church problem," but emphasized that they disagreed with the text of the Tomos. The Local Council also elected two new bishops. The document also reaffirmed that Filaret was the head of the UOC-KP, elected "for life
..on October 20–22, 1995".
Filaret declared on the same day: "Ukraine will have the
Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the
Orthodox Church in Ukraine that has a
tomos
Tomos ( sl, link=yes, Tovarna, Motorjev, Sežana, "Motorcycle Company Sežana") was a moped manufacturer based in Koper, Slovenia. It was founded in 1948. Tomos acquired a production license from Puch to produce moped models under the Tomos name ...
-
..a limited tomos subordinating it to the Ecumenical Patriarchate - and there will be a third independent church - the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
." He added that if the OCU wanted to unite with the UOC-KP, nobody would be against it.
On 21 June, Filaret asked
Ukrainian Interior Minister Askan Avakov to protect the faithful and the property of the Kyiv Patriarchate from the "illegal actions of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine"; Filaret gave the examples of the
St. Feodosiya's monastery and the
Uspensky shrine which he claims have been captured by the OCU.
Reaction of the OCU
On 20 June 2019, the OCU declared in an official communiqué concerning Filaret's council: "The assembly that gathered today at Flilaret’s personal will has neither legal nor canonical effects for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This is not a split, a small part of the OCU branched out into a new structure and named it the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate, but it is not the UOC-KP and cannot be it. This assembly cannot question the validity of the Tomos or the authority of the OCU. The only consequence of this action is that Filaret will no longer have any powers in the OCU."
On 24 June, the Holy synod of the OCU met. Before the council began, when asked by the ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' if a radical decision concerning Filaret's excommunication would be made,