Greek media: Phanar’s decision doesn’t entail any recognition of the UOC KP

Head of the UOC KP Filaret Denisenko

Editor-in-chief of the Greek website Orthodoxia.info Andreas Loudaros believes that, as history has shown, all visionaries share a common trait: on most occasions, they have sacrificed themselves in order to see their vision, their dream, become a reality. Head of the UOC KP Filaret, though, is not the case.

Ever since Constantinople looked favourably upon his request, reinstating him, through what is called the ‘ekkliton’, or right of appeal, in church-speak, to canonical status, the 90-year-old hierarch has been acting as if he does not understand what has happened, or, at least, that is what he is trying to show.

“Initially, he had stated that he is and will remain a ‘patriarch’, writes Andreas Loudaros. “He then convened his ‘synod’ and announced that he was taking one step backwards by accepting the rank of archbishop for external use but remaining a patriarch internally. And now he says that he has informed his clergy that they need to commemorate the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch during holy services.”

The journalist noted that instead of allowing those at the Ecumenical Patriarchate who helped solve his problem to proceed with the necessary measures in order to stabilize the situation in his country, “Filaret is doing all in his power to work recent developments to his advantage, imposing, or, to be exact, trying to impose, his personal agenda and interests”.

It is emphasized that “the Church has rules, limits, and mechanisms. Furthermore, She also has Her own history and memory. If one does not like the idea of following these rules, they can remain outside the Church and say whatever they like”.

“Indeed, the decision to lift Filaret’s anathema and reinstate his episcopal rank does not entail any recognition of the Kiev Patriarchate. And this is something that Filaret, who for decades now has toiled to see his dream of Ukrainian autocephaly become a reality, has to understand first,” concludes the Editor-in-chief of the authoritative Greek portal, adding that he would like to remind Filaret that in all parts of the world and throughout the ages, history has rewarded the crown of glory graciously to those who chose sacrifice and not to those who could not bear its weight.

We recall that the head of the UOC KP Filaret retains the title of "patriarch", despite the fact that in accordance with the decisions of the Synod of the Constantinople Church of October 11, he was reinstated as a metropolitan. As the spokesperson for the UOC KP Eustratiy Zoria explained, the title of Filaret was extended and now he is three in one: an “archbishop”, a “metropolitan” and a “patriarch”.

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