Political expert: Filarer declared war on US State Department

Political analyst Elena Dyachenko. Photo: Capital

“Honorary Patriarch” of the OCU Filaret Denisenko, by his actions, actually launched a direct war with the US State Department, said political analyst Yelena Dyachenko on air of the First Cossack Internet channel.

In her opinion, the new church structure is a political project of the US State Department, which was created specifically for the destruction of the UOC. That is why the US ambassadors so openly visit the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches and put pressure on them to force the Archpastors to recognize this religious organization, assures the political expert.

In his turn, Filaret, who created the “political church in the form of the Kiev Patriarchate”, took part in the OCU project solely for the sake of achieving his own vested interests, the expert said.

“His anathema was removed but “agreed to disagee”. He is a great political player. And if you follow what he says – he only talks about politics. He practically does not speak about religion,” Dyachenko noted.

According to the expert, it is difficult to predict whether his long-term political experience will help the “honorary patriarch” in fighting the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko.

“Mr. Denisenko understands that his move marks the beginning of his direct war with the US Department of State. And it is not known who in this story can be placed a bet on despite the great political experience of Mr. Denisenko. There are certain misgivings regarding him,” the political analyst shared with the viewers.

She also added that in the meantime the State Department continues to implement its project in the territory of our state. An example of this, according to Dyachenko, can be the registration in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of three bills on military chaplaincy at once. If MPs adopt one of these legal acts, the clergymen of the canonical Church will be forbidden to provide spiritual guidance to the servicemen of the Armed Forces of our country.

“Our Church will be hostile for the soldiers who will return from the army. This is the next step of the State Department it has already outlined,” said Dyachenko about a further possible scenario.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the bearer of sovereignty is the Ukrainian people, but in fact – the State Department of the United States of America, she concluded.

On May 23, 2019, the Patriarchate of Constantinople reported on a meeting with the “former Metropolitan of Kiev” Filaret. "He (Filaret – Ed.) also assured His Holiness through his representatives that he continues to support His Beatitude (head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko – Ed.) in his spiritual status and keeps his vigilance and keen interest in the course of events in the Church of Ukraine despite the attempt to create from outside the atmosphere of separation,” says Phanar in an official press release.

Filaret himself said he would not fulfill the conditions of Tomos. The Patriarch of Kiev and All Rus-Ukraine told that he considers the act of Patriarch Bartholomew, who through the mediation of the former President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, compelled him to give up the position of the Primate of the OCU to be anti-canonical: “The Ecumenical Patriarch set a condition: there will be a tomos provided I refuse to put up my candidacy <...>. He told this to the president. And he demanded that I sign a paper that I refuse to nominate myself. From the point of view of canons and freedom, such conditions cannot be set.”

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, the website www.faktor.bg, which is associated with certain non-governmental organizations in the United States, published false information about the recognition of the OCU by the Primate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Neophyte. On the basis of this article from the pro-Western website, the Ukrainian media later published their own fake news, which allegedly stated that “Patriarch of the BOC Neophyte defended the position whereby as long as there is an independent state, it is expedient to have an independent Church.”

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