Zoria: The OCU does not accept Filaret’s claim that he is not its member

Former UOC-KP secretary Yevstratiy Zoria. Photo: Facebook

The OCU does not accept the decision of UOC-KP head Filaret Denysenko, who said that he does not consider himself a member of it, “hierarch” of the new church structure Yevstratiy Zoria said during a briefing following a meeting of the “Holy Synod” of the recently created religious organization.

“His sudden decision to act as he did is his responsibility. But the OCU does not accept his decision. That is, from the OCU’s point of view, this does not lead to a division or to the creation of some separate new church or jurisdiction. It is simply the point of view of Honorary Patriarch Filaret and his few like-minded supporters,” Zoria was quoted as saying on the OCU’s Facebook page.

According to the OCU bishop, the “Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine” was an “active bishop” of the new church structure and a permanent member of its “Holy Synod,” and therefore his statements are merely his personal opinion.

“He took part in and signed the decisions of the Local Council of the Kyiv Patriarchate on unification, he took part in the Unification Council, voted for the Charter, voted for the election of the primate, he was a bishop, an active bishop and a permanent member of the Synod in accordance with the Charter of the OCU, he participated in the life of the OCU as its hierarch, he took part in meetings of the OCU Synod,” Zoria recalled.

Notably, in answering journalists’ questions about Filaret’s statements, the former spokesman of the Kyiv Patriarchate began by referring to the Russian writer and thinker Leo Tolstoy and the teaching he created.

“In the Church, it cannot be the case that I like these decisions or these canons – so I accept and follow them, while I do not like the others – so I do not accept or follow them. You know, at one time Leo Tolstoy read the Gospel in just this way. What he liked – he underlined, what he did not like – he crossed out. And then he produced his own version and said: ‘This is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.’ In the end we know that, sadly, he broke with the Orthodox Church,” the OCU “bishop” said.

At the end of his remarks, he also reminded listeners that the doors of the recently created religious organization remain open to everyone.

“Even to those who, for whatever reason, have temporarily decided to step away from us in search of something else. But those doors remain open, because in truth we are all – the One Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” Zoria stressed.

Earlier, the former spokesman of the Kyiv Patriarchate had said the exact opposite, when he stated that the OCU would not punish the “Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine” once he had separated from that church structure. “If Patriarch Filaret and those who separated along with him do not belong to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, then accordingly the Orthodox Church of Ukraine bears no responsibility for them. And just as we impose no sanctions, actions, or punishments on Metropolitan Onuphry, or Patriarch Kirill or other Orthodox church and religious figures, hierarchs, so too, I think, no one will do this with regard to Patriarch Filaret,” the OCU “hierarch” promised.

After these statements, the OCU barred a UOC-KP “bishop” and “archimandrite” from “serving” for taking part in the “Local Council” of the Kyiv Patriarchate and is now awaiting their repentance. In addition, Kharkiv “eparchy” OCU “hieromonk” Ilya Zelensky and “priest” Vasily Lesik were also barred from “serving” “for actions aimed at dividing the church.” On June 22, 2019, “hieromonk” Ilya was “consecrated” by Filaret as “Bishop” of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv.

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