Filaret: Our Church will be led only by patriarch, not by metropolitan!

"Patriarch" Filaret Denisenko

In his speech at the prayer service, which took place today, October 14, on the Sofia Square in Kiev, the head of the Kiev Patriarchate stated that Ukraine deserves that the head of its Church be patriarch, rather than metropolitan. The speech of Filaret (Denisenko) was broadcast by 112 Ukraine channel.

The leader of the UOC KP noted that "just as we have achieved autocephaly, so we can achieve and integrate all the Orthodox Churches into one" to "create one Ukrainian Orthodox Church led by the Kiev patriarch."

“Many people think, maybe, not patriarch but metropolitan? No way! underlined Filaret. “Ukraine is worthy of having a patriarch as head of the Church. We don't want anything else!”

At the same time, Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos, the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, commenting on the canonical status of Filaret Denisenko, said that Phanar considers him "the former metropolitan of Kiev." Thus, bestowing “legitimacy” upon Filaret, the Patriarchate of Constantinople considers him to be a regular bishop without a Chair, who was once the metropolitan of Kiev.

Recall that on October 12, the day following the decree of the Synod of Constantinople Patriarchate about his “reinstatement”, Filaret refused to recognize his new “demoted” status. In fact, Patriarch Bartholomew was not commemorated during the service in the Holy Vladimir Cathedral. Instead, Filaret himself was commemorated as a patriarch.

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