Only four hierarchs of the OCU came to the Vladimir Cathedral to see Filaret
Today, May 14, a ceremony commemorating the Holy Martyr Macarius is taking place at St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv. Patriarch Filaret, the founder of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), invited hierarchs to the event on letterhead from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), but only four OCU bishops accepted, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
BBC Ukraine writes about this.
It is reported that the prayer celebration in honor of the Hieromartyr Macarius is a traditional holiday for the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Invitations to it were printed on the letterhead of the Kyiv Patriarchate and signed by “Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine” Filaret. Because of this, a scandal arose around the event, which worsened due to the lack of mention of the OCU in the invitations.
Meanwhile, on the eve of May 14, Filaret announced that he would revive the Kiev Patriarchate - even if this required a new split. After this, it became known that Metropolitan Epiphanius was not among the recipients of the invitation (later his press service stated that he would not appear there). The head of the OCU commented on the scandal and said that because of it, the Tomos of autocephaly could be taken away from Kyiv.
That is why today’s events at the Vladimir Cathedral were considered as a kind of “parade of forces”, at which Filaret had to check how many hierarchs could support his idea of restoring the UOC-KP.
In response to the invitation, only four bishops out of more than 60 came to the celebration: Archbishop Clement of Simferopol and Crimea, as well as a group of hierarchs from the former parishes of the UOC-KP in Russia, Metropolitan Joasaph of Belgorod and Oboyan, his vicar Peter and Bishop Adrian.
One of the most influential hierarchs of the OCU, who at the unification council was Epiphanius’s main competitor for primacy in the new church, Metropolitan Michael of Lutsk and Volyn, whom sources called one of Filaret’s possible allies, did not show up.
However, during the diptych, Filaret mentioned “Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine,” which means that he recognizes Epiphanius’ primacy.
“What will Koschey Denisenko do at today’s meeting with his supporters – the “bishops of the KP-OCU”? Will he depose Epiphanius? Will he declare himself “eternal primate”? Will he rewrite the charter of the “SCU”, proclaiming “patriarchy”? He will not look back at anyone - Poroshenko is leaving the stage, Zelensky is still weak, Phanar is unlikely to cancel the “Filkin Tomos”, because this would mean a catastrophic loss of face, the final transformation into a cheap operetta. So Koschey rushes like a tank. No wonder they were afraid of him in Phanar. There are almost no such figures left – albeit with a minus sign – in the religious life of the post-Soviet world. Mostly spiritual boys are fidgety or sad,” commented the conservative Orthodox publicist from the Russian Federation, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, on his Telegram channel.
Earlier, as PolitNavigator reported, Filaret complained that Epiphany was ignoring him and stated that the Kiev Patriarchate still exists.
English version :: Read in English Only four hierarchs of the OCU came to see Filaret at the Vladimir Cathedral