Filaret writes a “spiritual testament”
Filaret with the testament. Photo: Telegram channel “For the Ukrainian Church”
The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Filaret Denysenko, has composed a “spiritual testament,” the text of which has appeared in the public domain.
The document, titled “Spiritual Testament of the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine Filaret,” sets out his vision for the future of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The publication coincides with the 30th anniversary of Filaret’s “patriarchate” within the UOC-KP.
Filaret emphasized that he remains the head of the UOC-KP and has no relation to the OCU.
“I am not the Honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as its representatives and leadership claim,” Denysenko stated.
He also forbade the OCU from performing his funeral rites. “I bequeath that the rite of the funeral service and burial be conducted in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv by the clergy and hierarchs of the UOC-KP, not by the OCU,” Filaret wrote.
In addition, “being of sound mind,” he called upon all Orthodox Christians of Ukraine to hold a unifying council to create a Church independent of both Moscow and Constantinople.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that after the OCU’s statement about Filaret’s “apparent decline in health,” he served the Dormition feast.
Read also
In Bukovina, mass production of kosher bread has been launched
Representatives of the Jewish community called the mass production of kosher bread at the regional level one of the few examples in Ukraine.
Patriarch Porfirije called the faithfulness of the people more important than the number of pilgrims to the Belt
The Serbian Orthodox Church reported the number of believers who came to venerate the Belt of the Mother of God.
Trump presents copy of Sitka Icon of Theotokos to monastery near St. Petersburg
The President of the United States gifted an Orthodox icon to the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage in response to Vladimir Putin's diplomatic gesture in Anchorage.
Persecuted UOC community in Rzhavyntsi celebrates patronal feast
Believers celebrated Pentecost in the church they had built with their own hands after the forcible seizure of their former sanctuary by OCU supporters.
In Madrid, thousands of people march against abortion and euthanasia
Annual march "Sí a la Vida" ("Yes to Life") took place in Spain.
Rivne Eparchy hosts Orthodox youth congress "Unity Cup"
Orthodox youth of the Dubno region gathered for joint prayer, fellowship and spiritual strengthening.