Filaret: Galicians did not want to go to war, but I called – and they did
Filaret Denisenko. Photo: Volyn.com.ua
The head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko said it in his interview with the “Apostrophe” edition that Galicians started to fight in the Donbass only when he called for it.
In his opinion, "Ukraine as a state needs an independent church" because "without an independent church there will be no Ukrainian state".
Filaret said that "but for the Kyiv Patriarchate, Putin would have been in Ukraine". But, he says, "there was a large Kyiv Patriarchate that influenced the society, the army".
"We remember what our army was like at the beginning of the war – incapable. And now it is combat-ready. Can it defend? It can! And who did it? The Church raised the people. The Church started this volunteer spirit, and then it grew," said the head of the UOC-KP.
He also said that he remembers how "the Galicians did not want to go and defend Ukraine. According to Filaret, "they (Galicians – Ed.) said: let the population of the Donbass defend the Ukrainian land, why should we? And I spoke then and said that if you want to live in Galicia calmly, peacefully, then defend Galicia in the Donbass, because today the Donbass has been captured, and tomorrow they will come and capture Galicia. Then the volunteers from Galicia went and created such a great force that now Putin cannot move forward: he has captured a part of the Donbass but cannot move further.”
The head of the Kyiv Patriarchate is sure that "the Church inspired the Ukrainian people and the army". He noted that it was the UOC-KP that created the chaplains, and it was thanks to the UOC-KP that the Tomos was received:
"Who created the chaplains? The Kyiv Patriarchate. If there were no Kyiv Patriarchate, who would the Tomos have been given to? Maybe, Drabinko or Simeon Tomos? When one had one parish and the other had 300 parishes and only 20 or 30 joined him. Should they have been given the Tomos? And due to the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Tomos was granted," Denisenko said.
He said that those who want to eliminate the Kyiv Patriarchate today "emerged thanks to the existence of the Kyiv Patriarchate”:
"For example, the same Metropolitan Epiphany. If there were no Kyiv Patriarchate, would he have received education? No, he wouldn’t. And if there had been no education, he would not have become either a priest or, moreover, a bishop. And now they spit in the well from which they drank water," Denisenko noted.
As reported earlier, Filaret Denisenko said that his structure will demand a new Tomos from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Read also
DESS draws parallels between liquidation of UGCC and present day
An event in Kyiv marked the 80th anniversary of the Lviv Council, at which a decision was taken to dissolve the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Bulgarian Church warns of sectarian threat after mass suicide
The Lovech Eparchy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued a warning following the tragedy of a mass suicide involving sect members near the Petrohan Pass.
UN reports violations of rights of believers and communities in Ukraine
A UN document points to pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, attempts to ban it through the courts, and cases of forcible church seizures.
Middle East Council of Churches calls for protection of Christians in the region
Christian churches in the Middle East warned of growing threats to the region’s Christian communities and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, urging the international community to step up support.
Albanian Archbishop: First in Orthodoxy does not mean supreme
The head of the Albanian Church spoke to UOJ about Orthodox unity, the limits of national identity, and the role of humility in Orthodoxy’s witness to the world.
Poland begins phasing out social benefits for Ukrainian refugees
A new law has taken effect in Poland providing for a gradual reduction in social benefits and some other support measures introduced for Ukrainian refugees after 2022.