Filaret: There is no new church. Tomos given to Kiev Patriarchate

“Honorary Patriarch” and “grandfather”of the OCU Filaret

The UOJ has obtaind an audio recording of the feast, during which the “Honorary Patriarch of the OCU” Filaret Denisenko instructed his interlocutors about the “correct” coverage of the Ukrainian religious events in the media.

On the recording, you can hear the head of the Kiev Patriarchate saying that the Tomos was granted not to the OCU but specifically to the Kiev Patriarchate.

“The so-called “theologians” began to say that the new Church was created, the head of the UOC KP ironically remarks. “What new church? The church is not new, but the church that has existed for more than 25 years. If not for this Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, then who would the Tomos have been given to – these two Moscow bishops without parishes? Or the Autocephalous Church, which has 500 parishes? It is clear that they gave the Tomos to the Kiev Patriarchate. Therefore, it is not a new church. Therefore, it is necessary to refrain from such terminology that this is a new Church and not to use it.”

Turning to Fr. Alexander (apparantly, Alexander Trofimliuk, head of the Publishing Department of the UOC KP - Ed.), Filaret gave the following instructions: “To eradicate this name – the Orthodox Church in Ukraine is not our name. We are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Like others: the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian, etc. "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."

Filaret also addressed Mikhail Omelyan, the editor of the official website of the UOC KP, so that information about the new Church would be submitted accordingly: "Father Mikhail, you work there, write on the Internet. Well, there shouldn’t be this OCU in our sources of information. Only the UOC, not the OCU."

Patriarch Bartholomew signed the Tomos for the "Holy Church of Ukraine" in Istanbul on January 5th. It follows from the text of the document that the new religious structure must coordinate all important issues with the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Read also

In Ukraine, Trump’s 'spiritual advisor' reassured of religious freedom

Pastor Mark Burns stated that Ukraine, despite the war, is a "beacon of religious freedom."