During a press conference in Kyiv on April 1, Metropolitan Yevstratiy (Zorya) of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine addressed the ongoing discussions surrounding the revival of the Kyiv Patriarchate. He emphasized the church’s official stance on the matter and outlined the current management of affairs previously overseen by the late Patriarch Filaret.
Metropolitan Yevstratiy characterized attempts by a small group to declare themselves a separate entity as a “self-appointed gathering.” He stated, “From the perspective of the Kyiv Metropolitanate, the OCU, and based on canonical law, this is nothing more than a self-appointed gathering, and its participants are subject to ecclesiastical condemnation.”
“From the perspective of the Kyiv Metropolitanate, the OCU, and based on canonical law, this is nothing more than a self-appointed gathering, and its participants are subject to ecclesiastical condemnation,” said the metropolitan.
He further clarified that the existing statutory documents do not provide a mechanism for the Kyiv Patriarchate to operate independently outside the OCU. Any actions taken by a few bishops to elect a “new patriarch” lack both legal and spiritual validity, according to him.
“Statements from the UOC-KP are null and should be condemned. Nikodim of Sumy is not recognized as a patriarch by the OCU. The Russian Metropolitan Shibaev and the Russian Orthodox Church are attempting to interfere in church affairs. The pseudo-voting for the so-called patriarch Nikodim is a Russian information operation,” Yevstratiy explained.
The metropolitan also discussed the management of affairs that were previously under the jurisdiction of the late Patriarch Filaret. According to the unchanged statutory documents from the past seven years, the head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphaniy, serves as the patriarchal locum tenens. He also noted that the capital’s Volodymyr and St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedrals will continue to function as the cathedrals of the head of the Ukrainian church.
“Additionally, several clergy and religious communities that voluntarily remained under Patriarch Filaret’s leadership during his lifetime have already confirmed their affiliation with the OCU. This opportunity remains open for those who have not yet done so,” Zorya stated.
In December 2018, a Unification Church Council led to the dissolution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), with Metropolitan Epiphaniy elected as its head. Patriarch Filaret signed the decree for the dissolution but later retracted his signature.
In May 2019, Filaret claimed that the Kyiv Patriarchate still existed and that he remained its patriarch. By July, the Ministry of Culture announced that the UOC-KP had ceased to exist, having joined the OCU.
In December 2019, following the dissolution of the UOC-KP, the OCU Synod created a religious organization in the form of a mission for Patriarch Filaret. The Synod also affirmed his right to reside at his residence on Pushkinska Street in Kyiv and to conduct services at the Volodymyr Cathedral.
However, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine decided to suspend Filaret’s powers as a member of the OCU Synod. While he remained part of the episcopate of the OCU, he lost canonical rights and responsibilities related to diocesan management. As a retired archbishop, he is canonically prohibited from performing any ordinations.
Filaret, whose birth name is Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko, served as the Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine from 1995 to 2018. He celebrated his 97th birthday on January 23. Following a hospitalization for chronic health issues on March 9, he passed away on March 20.
Metropolitan Yevstratiy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has firmly rejected attempts to revive the Kyiv Patriarchate, labeling such efforts as unauthorized. He clarified the church's governance structure and reiterated the OCU's position on the matter, emphasizing the importance of canonical law.