Poroshenko party: Filaret meant for Moscow patriarchate but chose Ukraine

Filaret Denysenko. Photo: European Solidarity

The Bukovyna branch of the "European Solidarity" party stated that Filaret Denysenko had been prepared by Moscow as a candidate for Patriarch of the ROC, but allegedly chose the path of an independent Ukraine himself, says a post on the party's Facebook.

According to the authors of the text, Filaret had a choice between the possibility of heading the ROC and "a course toward the ecclesiastical independence of Ukraine, which meant open confrontation with the Moscow Patriarchate."

"Filaret chose the second path. He publicly supported the idea of autocephaly for the Ukrainian Church and refused to fulfill Moscow's demands for full loyalty," the statement reads.

At the same time, the actual facts tell a different story: Filaret did not "choose Ukraine" over Moscow – he lost the election for Patriarch of the ROC, and only after that defeat did he set a course toward creating a church structure separate from Moscow.

The authors of the party post also sidestep the fact that prior to his defeat, Denysenko consistently maintained a pro-Moscow position, publicly criticized Ukrainian nationalists, and opposed autocephalists. His turn toward ecclesiastical independence was not driven by conviction but was a consequence of his failure in the Moscow elections.

Thus, the publication by the Bukovyna branch of the Poroshenko party presents the forced step of a losing candidate as a deliberate patriotic choice, distorting the actual sequence of events.

As the UOJ reported, UOC bishops launched an in-absentia discussion around the figure of Filaret.

Read also