Head of UOC-KP: Tomos from Phanar divided Kiev Patriarchate into two parts

Head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko and former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko during the Tomos tour. Photo: pravdainform.com.ua

The Tomos, granted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, divided the Kiev Patriarchate into two parts – the UOC-KP and the OCU, Filaret Denisenko, “Patriarch of Kiev and All Rus-Ukraine”, announced during the press conference “Revival of the Kiev Patriarchate”.

“Having received the Tomos, we would have to grow and unite with those Orthodox Churches that did not have communion with the Kiev Patriarchate, but it turned out the opposite – the Tomos divided the Kiev Patriarchate into two parts: the OCU, which has the Tomos on autocephaly, and the UOC-KP, which withdrew from the OCU,” he said.

According to Filaret, the Kiev Patriarchate separated from the newly created church structure because the Tomos had appeared different from those documents on autocephaly other Orthodox Churches have.

“Other Orthodox Churches are completely independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, however, the Tomos for the OCU states that this church depends on the Patriarchate of Constantinople,” the Head of the UOC-KP emphasized.

He also recalled that the hierarchs of the UOC-KP made an “unlawful decision” to dismiss the Kiev Patriarchate for the sake of obtaining the Tomos but withdrew their signatures as soon as they realized what a dependent position they were got into.

During the press conference “Revival of the Kiev Patriarchate”, Filaret also said that his church structure demanded that Phanar return the original decisions of the “Council” to the UOC-KP.

Read also