Filaret: Patriarch Bartholomew seeks absolute power in Orthodoxy

Filaret Denisenko. Photo: Ukrinform

The push factor for Constantinople to actively deal with the issue of Ukrainian autocephaly was the Crete Pan-Orthodox Council, which the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew convened in order to "receive special power in Orthodoxy". This point of view was expressed by the “Patriarch of Kiev and all Rus-Ukraine” Filaret in an interview published on September 18 on the official resource of the UOC-KP.

“Previously, it was agreed that all Orthodox Churches would come to this Council, and Moscow at the last moment decided to refuse. Not only did it refuse but was followed by other Churches – Antioch, Bulgarian, Georgian ... four Churches did not come to this Pan-Orthodox Council,” Filaret noted. “And what decisions did this Council take? The main resolution for which the Pan-Orthodox Council was convened by Patriarch Bartholomew was to receive power, not just to be first among equals but to receive special power in Orthodoxy.”

The head of the UOC-KP explained that the Ecumenical Patriarch wanted to appropriate the right to unilaterally convene Pan-Orthodox Councils and preside at them.

“And this decision was made at the Crete Council in 2016, and these Churches (Russian, Antioch, Bulgarian, Georgian – Ed.) did not recognize such a resolution. And after that, the Ecumenical Patriarch decided to recognize the Ukrainian Church as autocephalous. You did not support the Crete Council, but I am granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church, and it will break away from you,” he added.

Filaret is convinced that it was the consequences of the Crete Council that became the main motive why the Ecumenical Patriarch supported the bestowal of the Tomos to the Church in Ukraine.

“But in this matter, he was guided by his own interests. What are his interests? So that the Ukrainian Church is in the position dependent on him,” Filaret emphasized.

According to him, in the Tomos of "alleged autocephaly" granted by Patriarch Bartholomew, there is no autocephaly, but there is only dependence on Constantinople.

“So, it turns out that by name we are an autocephalous Church, but in reality, we are the Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. And it so happened that Ukraine was divided into two parts: one – the Kiev Metropolis headed by Metropolitan Epiphany belongs to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the other – as part of the Moscow Patriarchate. And where is the Ukrainian Independent Church? There isn’t any!” resumed “Patriarch” Filaret.

As reported by UOJ, earlier Filaret Denisenko said that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew leads the destruction of the UOC-KP.

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