Patriarch of the UOC KP Filaret received the head of the OCU Epiphanius and before that made a will.

Filaret bequeaths to be buried by UOC KP hierarchs, not the OCU

OCU Metropolitan Epiphanius met with Patriarch Filaret of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate, who in his will stated that he is not the honorary patriarch of the OCU and wishes to be buried by the hierarchs of the UOC KP.

The meeting took place on November 5 at the Metropolitan’s residence, the second time in the past two weeks. During it, Epiphanius thanked Filaret for many years of service in developing the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church and presented a gratitude for his contribution to the revival of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

In October, Filaret made a spiritual will in which he called for the establishment of a truly united Ukrainian Orthodox Church that would be independent both from Moscow and Constantinople. He emphasized that he is not the honorary patriarch of the OCU and remains the lifelong elected head of the UOC KP.

During the meeting, they discussed the challenges of Russian aggression, the situation in the temporarily occupied territories, and held a prayer for Ukraine’s victory over Russia. In his speech, Filaret also thanked God for the opportunity to communicate and serve in such a difficult time.

The context of events is the Unifying Council of Orthodox Churches, which took place on December 15, 2018, in Kyiv. It formed the OCU, which received a Tomos of autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Despite this, Filaret considers himself the acting head of the UOC KP and has been demanding its restoration through the courts since 2022.