The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate has appointed Archbishop Nikodim of Sumy and Okhtyrka as its new leader. This decision was announced following an extraordinary session of the church’s episcopal council.
On March 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to Metropolitan Epiphanius of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine regarding the passing of Patriarch Filaret. The conversation highlighted the late patriarch’s significant contributions to Ukraine’s spiritual independence and his steadfast support for the nation’s resistance against Russian aggression.
Patriarch Filaret passed away on March 20, with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine officially announcing his death at noon. A farewell ceremony commenced that evening at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, where prayers and readings from the Gospel will take place until the morning of March 22.
Earlier, on March 9, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine had urged its followers to pray for Patriarch Filaret’s health, revealing that he had been hospitalized and his condition had deteriorated.
Filaret, born Mykhailo Denysenko on January 23, 1929, led the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate since October 1995. In December 2018, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received a tomos from the Ecumenical Patriarch, recognized Filaret as its Honorary Patriarch.
In June 2022, shortly after the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Filaret called for a unifying council of the three branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, referring to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and the Kyiv Patriarchate.
Archbishop Nikodim has been appointed as the new head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate following the death of Patriarch Filaret. The church has emphasized the late patriarch's role in promoting Ukraine's spiritual independence and unity amid ongoing conflict.