“The enemy invented heresies and schisms to destroy faith, discredit the truth, and break unity. The servants of heresy propagate treachery under the guise of faith, the Antichrist under the name of Christ, and, covering lies with plausibility and subtle cunning, they obscure the truth. — “What unity does he adhere to, what kind of love does he preserve, or what kind of love does he dream of who, obeying the impulse of discord, dissects the Church, destroys faith, disturbs the world, uproots love, desecrates the Sacrament? ST.CYPRIAN of Carthage
Today non-church people are surprised: “why is there no unity among the Orthodox in Ukraine and why do we not have our own independent church”?
With these questions they show either their incompetence in those issues about which they want to express their opinion, or their bias towards the Orthodox Church. Such people cannot answer the question: “How many sacraments do we have in our church?” - And even more so, to tell something about this or that sacrament, but they undertake to judge the church hierarchy. They form their thoughts under the influence of the media and do not want to look into the “Law of God,” and the clergy are accused of politics. Therefore, first let us recall the Orthodox sacraments, without which any explanations will become incomprehensible.
The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Communion, repentance and consecration of oil concern the life of every Christian. In addition to them, two more sacraments have been established that bless the entry into a special path of life. The sacrament of the priesthood is performed on a person, he becomes a clergyman and receives special grace in order to perform divine services and sacraments for other people.
There are three grades of clergy. The highest level is bishops, who are the successors of the apostles, lead the churches and can administer all the Sacraments. Depending on what place he occupies and what district he leads, a bishop can be a bishop, archbishop, metropolitan or patriarch, but these are all different names for the same rank of bishop.
The second level of the priesthood is the priest, who can perform all the Sacraments except the priesthood.
The junior degree of priesthood is a deacon, who cannot administer the Sacraments himself, but helps the priest during their implementation.
During the sacrament of priesthood, the bishop, during the Liturgy, places his hands on the head of the one he initiates and reads a special prayer, then the one who is dedicated is dressed in clothes appropriate to his rank. Priests devote their entire lives to serving God and people, they received grace through the apostles from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and we should always treat them with special love and respect.
Christians should be warned against the so-called “Orthodox churches”: the “Kyiv Patriarchate” and the “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church”. The first “autocephalous church” was founded on October 1, 1921 in the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Despite the invitation of the initiators, not a single Orthodox bishop appeared at this “All-Ukrainian Council.” Only ZO priests, 12 deacons and laymen were present. Then, in order to found the UAOC “independent of Moscow,” they decided to abandon the holy canons of the Orthodox Church. According to Canon 1 of the Holy Apostles, “let two or three bishops appoint bishops.” At the very first “Metropolitan” of the UAOC, Vasily Lipkivsky, the priests “ordained” him, and he immediately “ordained” two more bishops. Therefore, the people began to call them “self-saints.” There were such “bishops” in 1926. there were already 28, but when Stalin’s repressions began, some of them went over to the “renovationists”, some to secular work, some fled abroad. One of those “self-saints” was Mstislav (Skrypnyk), bishop of the UAOC from the USA.
In 1989, the “Autocephalous Church” was resumed in Ukraine and from October the UAOC elected Mstislav Skrypnyk as their leader, and on October 19, 1990 he was made the “patriarch” of the UAOC.
Mr. Denisenko, in his recent interviews with various media, constantly reminds that his structure is completely identical with the UAOC and there is no difference between them, there are no problems of a canonical order that separated them. Indeed, his pseudo-church, or rather his political group, and the UAOC are like twin brothers: both arose in gross violation of age-old church traditions and institutions, and therefore can only be called churches conditionally. The former Metropolitan of Kiev knows all this well, and today he must realize what he and his organization really represent.
We will quote the opinion of Filaret (Denisenko) himself, expressed at a press conference in October 1990 regarding the UAOC, and therefore about himself today:
“The so-called UAOC has no canonical continuity with the Kyiv Metropolis... It has no connection with either the Kyiv Metropolis or with any Orthodox Patriarchate... Therefore, I believe that the UAOC is truly independent, but independent of all Orthodoxy. This is also a dry branch that was broken off from the living tree of our faith. The Orthodox Church believes that all the so-called sacred rites that are performed by the priests and bishops of this “church” are ungraceful... his name (Mstislava - Ed.) - Patriarch of Kiev and all Ukraine - is a mockery of the Church, because no one can do it himself assign higher dignity to oneself. The UAOC has arbitrarily elevated itself to the dignity of the Patriarchate... We urge the believers of the so-called UAOC to adhere to church canons and not tear the Orthodox Church in Ukraine into two parts... This is the third time in the history of the 20th century that this “church” has arisen, and each time it withers as if broken off branch because it does not have the grace of God, which nourishes the true Church"
(Orthodox Bulletin. - 1991, No. 1. - pp. 10-13).
I would like today’s “Patriarch Filaret” not to forget his own characteristics from thirteen years ago, and if for some reason he has forgotten what the UAOC actually is (and with it its copy - the UOC-KP), then let us quote him thoughts today will be evidence of the unprincipledness and hypocrisy of the current leader of the Ukrainian “Orthodox” schism.
Let us, dear compatriots, think about whether such a person can be the Primate of the Church?
The UOC of the Kiev Patriarchate was “formed” thanks to the unification of some “bishops” of the UAOC and the former Metropolitan Philaret (Denisenko), who was defrocked for personal sins and church violations on June 25, 1992. And even before that, at the Bishops’ Council on April 1-3, 1992 in Moscow, Metropolitan Philaret, recognizing his guilt in the spread of temptation in Ukraine, before the Cross, the Gospel and the entire episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church, he promised, upon returning to Ukraine, to hand over his powers to the new elect of the Council of Bishops of the UOC, which will gather in Kyiv. Since the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at that time was already independent in governance. But the Ukrainian bishops warned that he could deceive, and the Patriarch asked Filaret in front of everyone again. And then Filaret responded, not without irritation (we quote from the saved audio recording): “We are Christians. It is said in Painted “let your word be yes, yes, yes, yes, and everything else is from the evil one.” After all, this was said during the Council of the Church, where Christ presides and the Holy Spirit leads. When he did not fulfill this, becoming an oathbreaker, the bishops of the UOC, meeting on April 3 in Zhitomir, expressed no confidence in him, and at the Council of Bishops in Kharkov, Metropolitan Philaret was removed from the Kyiv Metropolis and banned from the priesthood.
Thus, the sacraments of the UAOC and the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate are not valid, since the clergy of these “churches” do not have the Grace of the Priesthood. So, people are not baptized, not married, and their sins are not forgiven at confession. Those clergy who come to them from our Church are defrocked according to the 45th canon of the Holy Apostles, which says that a bishop, priest or deacon who prays with those excommunicated from the Church should also be excommunicated, and if he acts with them as a minister of the church, he will be defrocked. Therefore, those who “received” what sacraments in the UOC-KP or UAOC must turn to the canonical Church and receive these Sacraments anew, and, in addition, confess how they have been excommunicated from the Church. Rule 10 of the Holy Apostles says: “If someone prays with someone who has been excommunicated from the Church, even at home, then such a person also becomes excommunicated.”
In our difficult times, Orthodoxy in Ukraine is going through a period of special trials. Persecution and schisms destroy faith and eradicate love. “The abomination of desolation in a holy place,” spoken by the prophet Daniel, is associated by our contemporaries, first of all, with the destroyed and desecrated temples of our land. But there is another interpretation by the holy fathers of these prophetic words: the “abomination of desolation” in a holy place is episcopal sees occupied by unworthy hierarchs, false bishops, false patriarchs.
The UOC-KP and its head Filaret (Denisenko) are making especially great efforts in the fight against Orthodoxy in Ukraine. Deprived of all degrees of the priesthood for sins against God and the Holy Church, Filaret, NOT submitting to the church court, fell away from the Orthodox Church and organized a religious group, the so-called Kiev Patriarchate, which, although it calls itself Orthodox, has, in fact, no connection to Orthodoxy has no relation. This can be confirmed by the events of 1992, when none of the existing monasteries, as well as the Kiev Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras, followed the perjurer. After all, we know that monasteries have always been guardians of the Truth, canons and traditions.
Filaret’s followers are outside Orthodoxy, outside the Church. A similar schismatic group was created in the post-revolutionary years by Vasily Lipkivsky, whom autocephalists call “metropolitan.” However, not a single bishop participated in Lipkivsky’s “consecration,” which is not only a violation, but a direct disregard for the apostolic rules and church canons. The first Apostolic Canon states: “Bishops are appointed by two or three bishops.” But the schismatics neglected this important instruction of the holy Apostles. The apostolic succession of the grace of the Holy Spirit in the self-saintly “ordination” of Vasily Lipkivsky ceased.
We have something similar now. The so-called “Kiev Patriarchate” is headed by a simple monk, deprived of holy orders.
Former Metropolitan Philaret violated the 34th Rule of the Holy Apostles, which says: “The first (bishop) did not do anything without the consent of everyone, because only consent will be unanimity.”
Filaret violated this rule and arbitrarily, without the consent of bishops, clergy, monastics and laity, organized a new religious group - the UOC-KP, leaving the Orthodox Church. In addition, Filaret also violated this rule by breaking off communication with the first bishop of the Church. The Primate of the Church, as is known, is subordinate to the Council of Bishops. And this took place in 1991 in Kharkov, at which Filaret, who committed perjury and other sins, was removed from office.
The Council of Bishops of the Orthodox Church deprived him of all degrees of the priesthood for crimes against God, faith and Orthodoxy. Filaret was ordained a deacon, presbyterate and bishop by bishops, and also, being the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church until 1992, he was at the same time a member of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church. The Church, on completely legal grounds, in accordance with the Apostolic Rules and the Rules of the Ecumenical Councils, deprived Philaret of the priesthood for committing grave and mortal sins.
The defrocking of Philaret was recognized by all the canonical Orthodox Churches of the world.
Saint John Chrysostom considers any separation from the Church to be a deprivation of the grace of the Holy Spirit. St. Cyprian of Carthage said: “Everything that has only been separated from the life-giving source cannot, with the loss of its saving essence, live and breathe a special life.” That is why the UOC-KP, created by the defrocked Philaret, is not recognized as the Orthodox Church by all World Orthodoxy. That is why the Orthodox Local Churches of the whole world do not allow joint services with false bishops and false priests of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and will co-serve with the hierarchs and priests of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Primate of which is His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The position of the Russian Orthodox Church is supported by the Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Georgian, Serbian, Bulgarian and other Local Churches; prayer and eucharistic communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is an integral part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
To justify their anti-church aspirations, schismatics recall some historical facts, which they present one-sidedly, not always commenting correctly.
So, they talk about the allegedly uncanonical declaration of autocephaly by the Russian Church itself in the 15th century. Indeed, the Russian Church, which was initially under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in 1448 became virtually autocephalous (that is, independent, self-governing). The bishops, regardless of Constantinople, elected St. And she. The reason for this was the retreat from Orthodoxy of the Patriarch of Constantinople and his acceptance of a union with Rome in 1439. Church rules, as you know, order to interrupt church communication with heretics. When the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople again began to be occupied by Orthodox patriarchs, although the right of independence of the Russian Church was not formally confirmed at first, the patriarchs did not protest against this and did not interrupt Eucharistic communion with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Autocephalists talk about the allegedly forced annexation of the independent Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate. In this regard, it must be said that the Kiev Metropolis has never been autocephalous. After the division of the Russian Church into two metropolises - Moscow and Kyiv (again due to the union with Rome) - the latter in the 17th century was an exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The reunification of the Kyiv Metropolis with the Russian Orthodox Church took place with the blessing of two Patriarchs - Constantinople and Jerusalem. Why do the schismatics not mention the desire for unification of the Metropolitan of Kyiv Job Boretsky, who sent his ambassador to Moscow with a request to the tsar to take Little Russia under his wing; Metropolitan Isaiah Kupinsky, who turned to the Moscow Tsar and Patriarch for support; Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, who advised the leaders of the Cossack army to seek salvation in an alliance with the one-blooded and same-faith Moscow state? Even before the reunification, the people of Kiev recognized Moscow Patriarch Nikon as their patriarch. In May 1654, sending an embassy to Moscow to the Tsar, they also wrote to Patriarch Nikon, calling him His Holiness the Patriarch of not only Greater but also Little Rus'. Hetman Khmelnytsky and the entire Cossack army called Moscow Patriarch Nikon their great saint, their supreme shepherd. A little later, the famous Ukrainian hierarch of the 17th century - Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar Baranovich - writes to the Moscow Tsar: “accept my desire: and I will be with my entire diocese directly under the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow, along with other Great Russian bishops, and let my heirs be installed in Moscow, and not in Kyiv."
Deceiving the common people, autocephalists sometimes say that the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church was approved in 1924, when the bishops of Volyn, being under the political power of Poland, received autocephaly from the Patriarch of Constantinople. But this is incorrect - the Patriarch of Constantinople, as is known, never confirmed the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church, and according to church canons he has no right to do this. In the Orthodox world, the Ecumenical (Constantinople) Patriarch is the first among equal primates of other Local Churches, that is, he has only primacy in honor, but by no means primacy in power. Therefore, he does not have the legal right to declare autocephalous any part of another Local Church. Even if he did this, such an act would be invalid and illegal according to the canons of the Church. Thus, in 1924, Constantinople proclaimed the autocephaly of the Polish Church, which was under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. This autocephaly was not recognized as canonical even by the Polish Church itself, as evidenced by the appeal of the Orthodox bishops of Poland to the Russian Church: “The Polish Autonomous Church recognizes as non-canonical and invalid the autocephaly of the Polish Church, proclaimed by the Tomos of Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople dated November 13, 1924, and asks blessings in the Mother of the Russian Church on canonical autocephaly."
Great efforts today are being directed towards creating a canonical autocephalous Church in Ukraine through separation from the Russian Orthodox Church and artificial unification with the graceless UOC-KP and UAOC, and then with the Greek Catholics. Some people think that autocephaly will save Orthodoxy in Ukraine. But this is self-deception. The persecution of the Church will intensify even more. The next requirement will be submission to Rome.
We live on the eve of the Antichrist, when many have deviated from the truth. In order to “seduce, if possible, even the elect” ( Matt. 24. 24), a truly inhuman persecution is being waged against the Church of Christ, Holy Orthodoxy. The warning word of Christ about “false prophets in sheep’s clothing”, that “inwardly they are ravenous wolves” ( Matt. 7.15), especially understandable to us, who recognize the teachers of schism and corrupt our people with their soul-destroying schism.
NOT autocephaly will give peace to Ukraine, but the general repentance of our people in the Grace-filled and true Church. Remember that outside the Church there is no Christianity, no Christ, no grace, no truth, no salvation - and all this is only in the One Orthodox Church. St. Cyprian of Carthage said: “The schismatic does not protect either the unity of the Church or brotherly love, he acts against the love of Christ.”
“How you fell from the sky, Lucifer, son of the dawn! .. And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods... I will go to the heights of heaven, I will be like the Most High” ( Is. 14.12-14). Some compare the fall of Filaret with the fall of the Lucifer, who became Satan. Filaret, who claimed the Moscow Patriarchal throne and did not receive it, rebelled and resisted the Holy Spirit, which acts in the Church of God. As a result of his pride, not having “peace in his bones from his sins” ( Ps. 37.4), Filaret has fallen, and like a fallen angel, he is now fighting the Church, trying to destroy true Orthodoxy.
Every “service” provided by Filaret today is an invocation of God’s wrath on our long-suffering Motherland. Every “sacrament” blasphemously made by him or his false bishops and false priests is invalid and unsaving, because it takes a person even further from God and leads to eternal destruction. Philaret's clergy consists of bigamists and defrocked people who have lost the fear of God and have a seared conscience.
Today Filaret appeals to people through the media, sends out his appeals and appeals everywhere, trying to seduce many with insinuating words, with messages from Christ.
Therefore, be careful! Do not give in to calls to strip Philaret, because it may seem “his speech is softer than oil, but the consequences of it are bitter, like wormwood, sharp, like a two-edged sword, his feet descend to death, his feet reach the underworld” ( Proverbs 5.3 -5).
Remember that the Filaret sect of the UOC-KP is an anti-church, it is anti-Christianity!
Those who today are still in schism, separated from the Church, can, through repentance, return to the bosom of the saving Church. The children of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church are not at enmity; they are waiting for the return of our brothers who find themselves in schism. “Our lips are open to you... our heart is enlarged... In the city of us... in our hearts, so that we can die and live together” ( 2 Cor. 6.11; 2 Cor. 7.2- 3). Not only the doors of our churches, but also our hearts are open to everyone who comes to true Orthodoxy, seeking eternal salvation and life in God in the canonical and grace-filled Church of Christ, daily praying to the All-Good God:
“Unite them in Your Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, so that with us we may glorify Your most honorable and magnificent name forever and ever. Amen"
In our Church, services are performed in Church Slavonic. It was created by the divinely inspired Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius on the basis of Slavic languages: related to Serbian, Bulgarian, Old Russian. The Church Slavonic language has never been a spoken, everyday language; it was literally created according to God’s plan by Saints Cyril and Methodius as a language of worship, as a language of prayerful communication with God. And this is very important: just as a priest celebrates the Divine Liturgy in special vestments, in a special setting. These vestments are not ordinary, not worldly, and after mass he is obliged to take them off when he goes outside. Many phrases cannot even be translated word for word into modern language.
Unfortunately, some are in favor of translating services into Ukrainian (or Russian). Imagine that the priest performs the Liturgy in a suit, like a sectarian presbyter. It is precisely to the distraction of the Ukrainian people from the Orthodox faith that this translation will lead, to the loss of the spiritual connection between generations, to a break with the historical past. There is already a project to translate Ukrainian writing into the Latin alphabet. And behind this lies the obvious Polishing of our people and their conversion to the Catholic faith. The Lord Jesus Christ said that he who is faithful in small things is also faithful in big things, and he who is unfaithful in small things is also unfaithful in big things. Therefore, it is not surprising that after the transition to the Ukrainian language, the UAOC and UOC-KP serve together with the Greek Catholics, neglecting the holy canons of the church, and we are accused of betraying our people. Since we protect what was dear to our ancestors, for which they were ready to lay down their lives, this is, first of all, the Orthodox faith in all its purity. We did not betray the faith of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir, Saints Anthony, Theodosius and all the Saints of Kiev-Pechersk, Job of Pochaev, we did not exchange this faith for temporary well-being.
Jesus Christ said that later they will know us that we are His disciples if you have love among yourself. So those “teachers” who call themselves “Orthodox” are from God, but make enmity based on nationality? “There is neither Scythian, nor Greek, nor Jew, but a new creation in Christ Jesus” ( Gal. 6.15).
Division can only be in relation to the Church: a member of the Church (Orthodox), a schismatic (UAOC, UOC-KP), a heretic (Catholic, Protestant, sectarian) and a pagan.
The Church Slavonic language, in which Orthodox Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Poles pray, leads to an increase in love between these same-faith, consanguineous peoples, and the translation of services into national languages, on the contrary, leads to distance between them. The latter only plays into the hands of the enemies of Orthodoxy. It is they, or people who are indifferent to the Church and divine services, who need a translation of the Church Slavonic language. And those who need the Orthodox Church and its services do not want a translation.
A modern believer has at least a secondary education; it costs her nothing to study the Church Slavonic language for 2-3 weeks - and she will understand in general terms everything that happens during the Liturgy. If our compatriots, going abroad to work, are able to learn English, French, German, Italian, then can they really not learn Slavic? So, this is a crafty excuse that people come to church and don’t understand anything.
How dear the Church Slavonic language was to our people at the beginning of our century, the “self-saints” themselves testify. Thus, “Metropolitan” Vasily Lipkivsky recalls a devout, venerable priest who joined the UAOC, but asked permission to serve in the Slavic language. He was refused and he left the UAOC. On Trinity Sunday, with pain in his heart, the “metropolitan” was forced to confirm that the majority, even the priests - sincere Ukrainians - adhere to the Church Slavonic language. And the grandmother goes to the tenth village to send a memorial service or prayer service in the Slavic language. “We want to pray in the Slavic language, like our fathers and grandfathers,” people said (“History of the UOC,” art. 26). How our contemporary and fellow countryman Rev. envied us. Lavrenty Chernigovsky: “Stick to the Church Slavonic language as the holy Gospel.”
Therefore, we must cherish the Church Slavonic language, the language of prayerful communication of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers with God and the inhabitants of heaven, as the spiritual and cultural treasure of our people.
Let us, dear compatriots, draw the right conclusions for ourselves, on which our eternal salvation depends. Amen.
based on materials from the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra
Original taken from andreyvadjra in How Denisenko became a “patriarch”: “Filaret is a mafia. He will stop at nothing."
It is 25 years since the events that became fateful for millions of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine. On May 27-28, 1992, the Council of Bishops of the UOC (MP) elected a new primate, banning the former Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Filaret Denisenko from the priesthood.
But this, as time has shown, was not the final victory of Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
Born in a lie
On May 3, 1990, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen passed away. Metropolitan Filaret of Kiev (in the world Mikhail Antonovich Denisenko) was elected locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne. This practically meant his election as Primate of the Russian Church (which, moreover, was guaranteed to the locum tenens by responsible comrades from the Ideological Department of the CPSU Central Committee). Filaret, who moved to the Mother See, already ordered the patriarchal kukol.
Everything seemed to be going just fine for the ambitious bishop. Moreover, he was becoming more and more uncomfortable in Kyiv.
In the course of Gorbachev’s “democratization,” the so-called “revival” began. “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church” (“UAOC”). So-called because the true Church, according to its own doctrine, was created by Christ himself in the 1st century. AD, while the “UAOC” was established on the territory of the occupied Ukrainian SSR according to the plan of Reich Minister Rosenberg, approved by Hitler on May 8, 1942. In the German convoy, the leaders of the “autocephalous” left Germany, and from there, as usual, they moved to the USA and Canada.
At the end of 1989, one of the leaders of Hitler’s generation “UAOC”, Petliura’s nephew Mstislav Skrypnik, who fled overseas, the “autocephalians” of Gorbachev’s “call” declared their primate. Six months later, the “All-Ukrainian Council of the UAOC” took place in the Kiev House of Cinema, which announced the transformation of this structure into the so-called. "Kyiv Patriarchate". Skrypnik, accordingly, became a “patriarch” (although he was never recognized by any church in the world as even a simple clergyman).
But in those same days, Filaret, on the contrary, experienced a collapse of hopes.
The Politburo decided not to interfere in the election of the patriarch. The fact is that the locum tenens was, of course, “their man” (a KGB agent with the operational call sign “Comrade Antonov”), but he became very close to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR Kravchuk, who showed separatist inclinations (just a month later the Rada will adopt a declaration on sovereignty). As a result, Filaret miserably lost the elections not only to the elected Patriarch Alexy II, but also to Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan, who took second place. The participants of the council could not help but know that Filaret had been reporting to the “curators” about the brother bishops for two decades and even in some places assisted the head of the ideological department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Kravchuk, in his war with the Church. In addition, Mikhail Antonovich clearly did not lead a monastic lifestyle, and he was simply known as a tyrant.
« Upon returning to Kyiv, Filaret was depressed, - recalls the then manager of the UOC (MP), Metropolitan Jonathan. - One day he sat gloomily in the altar of the Vladimir Cathedral. Protodeacon Nikita Pasenko approached him with words of consolation: “Vladyka! You shouldn’t be so upset...” He raised his head and muffledly repeated several times: “Father Nikita! Ukraine we give him[Pat. Alexy] we won't give it up!»
And indeed, soon Filaret convened a hierarchal meeting of the Ukrainian Exarchate, at which he “made it clear” that Moscow, they say, “blessed” the creation of an autonomous Ukrainian church. Seeing the taken aback faces of the bishops, he hastened to assure that there was no talk of any real autonomy, and all this was “just a smoke screen for nationalists.”
Filaret began to blackmail the Patriarchate with horror stories about the allegedly rapid Banderization of the mass consciousness of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine. They say that if the Ukrainian exarchate is not given the status of an autonomous church, they will run over to the “autocephalous” and Uniates, because they themselves passionately desire separation from Moscow. Thus, during the first archpastoral visit of Patriarch Alexy to the Ukrainian SSR, the organ of the Communist Party of Ukraine “Truth of Ukraine” published (obviously, by order of Kravchuk), the so-called. " Appeal of the Ukrainian episcopate to the Patriarch with a request to grant the Ukrainian Exarchate broad autonomy. “By fabricating this document, Filaret again deceived the Ukrainian bishops, saying that he was doing this only to divert the eyes of the Rukhovites from our Church and to fight the union, which declared itself as the national Ukrainian Church, - assures Metropolitan. Jonathan. - They still believed him, and therefore no one thought about the consequences... Then the former Primate will more than once refer to “documents” obtained in such a dishonest way, justifying his schismatic activities with the opinion of the “majority».
Patriarch Alexy believed (or simply gave in) to Filaret’s monstrous lies (especially about the autocephalous aspirations of the Orthodox in Ukraine) and blessed the creation within the MP of an independent UOC in its governance.
Not anathema yet, already mafia
Already in the status of primate, Filaret began to “cleanse” the Ukrainian “spiritual field” from a competitor in the person of “Patriarch Mstislav” and other revived collaborators - the Uniates. " Leaders of illegal autocephaly take nationalist and separatist positions, - he really denounced the separatists, whom he now faithfully serves, now calling separatists those who are fighting for the reunification of the country in which he - Mikhail Denisenko - was born. " Using the political situation, separatist forces contribute to the spread of schism throughout Ukraine, setting themselves the goal of eliminating the UOC, which is in canonical unity with the Moscow Patriarchate“- Filaret was indignant (“Orthodox Bulletin” No. 10 of 1990).
In his address to the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada, he drew the attention of legislators to “ illegal and hooligan actions of groups of extremists who call themselves autocephalists and Greek Catholics, specially brought from the western regions of Ukraine».
Legislators, however, by that time had adopted a declaration of independence for Ukraine. And after “gaining independence” as a result of the failure of the State Emergency Committee in Moscow, Filaret realized that he again had room to grow. Moreover, information about the unseemly life and activities of “comrade. Antonov” began to leak into the Russian press, and he understood that the only guarantee to stay afloat was to stick to Kravchuk. And how, without five minutes, the president of a “sovereign European power” desperately needed a “sovereign church.” Preferably, not tainted by fascism, and even better - canonical. Therefore, at the beginning of October 1991, the council of the UOC (MP), led by Philaret, accepted an appeal to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II with a request to grant autocephaly to the UOC.
This act, to put it mildly, was not accepted by the entire Church in Ukraine, which only strengthened the Orthodox discontent with Philaret. Patriarch Alexy began to receive telegrams and minutes of parish meetings from dioceses with a request to accept them under his direct jurisdiction. Filaret responded by sending out a circular on the mandatory holding of clergy meetings in support of the decision of the UOC Council. Lists of clergy participants with their signatures were ordered to be delivered to the office of the Kyiv Metropolis.
Bishops Onuphry of Bukovina, Sergius of Ternopil and Alypius of Donetsk and the entire brethren of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, led by their viceroy, Archimandrite Elevfery Didenko, opposed such methods, which violated the principles of conciliarity of the Orthodox Church. For this, the rulers were removed from their cathedras (and Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa was removed from his cathedra even earlier for opposing the course of autocephaly). But the believers put the diocesan administrations “under siege,” without releasing their archpastors. And although the latter managed to persuade the flock to obey this decision of the primate, Orthodox parishes and entire dioceses began protests. The name of Filaret in many parishes was no longer commemorated during services.
In the end, Bishops Onufry Berezovsky and Sergius Gensitsky sent messages to the Patriarch in which they announced their refusal to sign the petition of the UOC Council for autocephaly.
The question arises, why did they, not to mention other bishops of the UOC (MP), previously put their signatures on such documents? The patriarch will answer this in 1992: “ Filaret is a mafia. He will stop at nothing, even physical violence" Denisenko will demonstrate how powerful this mafia is already in 1994 - by sending militants to the Caucasus, opening offshore companies and banks to swindle funds from the “cutting” of Western humanitarian aid for poor Ukrainians.
Caliph for a moment
For the April 1992 Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Kiev Metropolitan prepared another blackmail: if the UOC is not given autocephaly, the Ukrainian delegation leaves the hall, thereby disrupting the council.
And when “the hour has come,” no one followed the head of the Ukrainian delegation, heading towards the exit (about five people stood up, but looked at the hall and immediately sat down)! The entire operation, which had been carefully planned over the course of two years, was lost in an instant! Filaret had to return to the presidium without leaving the hall.
And here, “without slowing down the pace of the counter-offensive,” the council participants raised the question of changing the primate of the UOC, as “ does not meet the requirements for a person capable of uniting around himself all Orthodox clergy and laity in Ukraine" “Meeting” the wishes of the episcopate, Patriarch Alexy turned to Metropolitan Philaret with a request “ for the good of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, for the sake of saving the Church in Ukraine, resign from his post and give the bishops of Ukraine the opportunity to choose a new primate" There was nothing left for him to do but before the Cross and the Gospel to assure the council that “in the name of church peace” he will convene a bishops’ council of the UOC (MP), at which he will submit a petition for release from his duties as primate. He sealed his promise with a reference to the covenant of Christ “let your word be: “Yes, yes”; "no no"; and anything beyond this is from the evil one.”
With a new god - “purely” Ukrainian
Returning to Kyiv, Filaret convened a press conference at which he announced that... “Ukrainian Orthodoxy was given by God,” and, accordingly, he could not leave the throne. By “god” he now obviously meant the President of Ukraine, which was indirectly indicated by the week-long period of Mikhail Antonovich’s rethinking of his existence. As the “monk’s” daughter Filaret Vera said, before the press conference her dad managed to confer with Kravchuk and his long-time partner Evgenia Petrovna (Vera’s mother). The latter allegedly stated: “ Misha, do you want to let me in here?(to the residence of the Primate of the UOC on Pushkinskaya Street) another?! If you do this, I’ll send you around the world with my knapsack: I’ll tell you everything about our relationship!“And “Misha” himself later admitted in an interview with the newspaper “Boulevard” that he decided to take this step on the advice of his old friend Kravchuk.
Filaret believed that the Ukrainian bishops would not dare to oppose his mafia, which was also strengthened by the “authority” of the president and the Verkhovna Rada (whose support he also managed to secure). However, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow, the oldest ordained bishop of the UOC (MP), Metropolitan Nikodim of Kharkov, “dared” to convene a council of bishops of the UOC (MP) on May 27, 1992. By the decision of the council, to which Filaret did not appear, he was removed from the Kyiv See and from the post of head of the UOC, and was also banned from the priesthood. Even earlier, on May 6-7, 1992, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at its extended meeting (to which Filaret also did not appear, although he was invited twice) prohibited the Kiev Metropolitan from acting as Primate in the period before the Council of Bishops of the UOC, namely: convening the Synod, ordain bishops, issue decrees and appeals concerning the UOC.” As an exception, the “convening of the Bishops’ Council of the UOC to accept his resignation and elect a new Primate” was indicated.
Of the two dozen bishops of the UOC, only one took Philaret’s side - Bishop Jacob of Pochaev. But for the ordination of clergy in the Church, at least three ruling bishops are required, Jacob was only a suffragan, and Philaret himself had already been deposed from the episcopal rank. This couple could not even ordain ordinary priests. In addition, on June 11, 1992, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church deprived Panchuk of all degrees of the priesthood. So the Filaret-Kravchuk project failed.
A non-fascist church with even a hint of canonicity did not take place. Therefore, it is probably wrong to call Denisenko’s act a split. He and Jacob did not create a new church structure. It can't even be called a "breakaway." After all, Filaret had already been banned from the priesthood.
And yet the split took place
On June 21, 1992, five pro-Kravchuk Rada deputies, led by the notorious Chervoniy (the same future Rivne governor who would fall victim to lightning after declaring that the Moscow Patriarch would visit Rivne only through his corpse) and employees appeared at the “Kyiv Patriarchate of the UAOC” the President's Office. The delegation demanded to immediately convene a “council of bishops” to admit Filaret to the UAOC. “This is the President’s order!” - was stated to the dumbfounded manager of the “Kyiv Patriarchate of the UAOC” Anthony Masendich. However, the treasury of the UOC (MP) stolen by Filaret, as well as the building of the Kiev Metropolis and the Vladimir Cathedral seized by the militants of the Ukrainian National Self-Defense (UNSO) of Dmitry Korchinsky were offered as a “dowry”.
The next day, without notifying his “patriarch” (living in the USA), Masendich urgently summoned the “bishops of the UAOC” to Kyiv.
On June 25-26, 1992, a meeting of several “UAOC bishops” and deputies of the Verkhovna Rada took place, called the “unification council of the UOC and UAOC-KP.” By the decision of the “council”, both structures were “abolished”, and all their property and finances were declared the property of the newly created “UOC-KP”. Skrypnik remained the “Patriarch” (still unaware of the abolition of his “church”), and Filaret was appointed his deputy (a position previously unprecedented in the history of the Church).
Three “UAOC bishops” refused to participate in the scam and left the meeting.
This was the beginning of the split. But not the Church in Ukraine, but the so-called. "Ukrainian Orthodoxy". Which the same Filaret so furiously exposed just a couple of years before leaving for anti-canonical “autocephaly”.
« Autocephaly must be recognized by other Orthodox Churches, he quite rightly asserted in newspaper "Soviet Ukraine" dated May 9, 1989 - As you know, during the civil war the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church was created, but this act was illegal. Therefore, the people called it the self-sanctified Church. Then it was dissolved, and during the war years, during the temporary Nazi occupation of Ukraine, it was restored, and now separate parishes exist abroad. Other Orthodox Churches did not recognize them. So why do we need to break away from the Orthodox world now? Why do we need a Church that fences us off from people? ...They say we need the Ukrainian Church. But there is an obvious intent in such a production.. Our Church began to be called Russian since the time of Prince Vladimir, that is, from the time when there were no separate Ukrainians, Belarusians, or Russians. It has been bearing this name for 1000 years. Now it includes Estonians, Latvians, Mordovians, Moldovans, and others... The church is multinational and has the name that it received back in the days of Kievan Rus ».
And even in 1991 he denounced the “UAOC”: “Today, supporters of the so-called “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church”... with the support extremist forces are being torn apart Not only tunic of the One, Catholic and Apostolic Church, But sow hostility and brotherly hatred among the Ukrainian people ».
In the same " Orthodox Bulletin No. 1 for 1991) got from Filaret and his new boss: “All the so-called sacred rites performed by the priests and bishops of this “church” are ungraceful. This is evidenced by the fact that in the United States of America not a single jurisdiction recognizes the church of Mstislav Skrypnik... In the USA there is a Conference of Canonical Bishops, to which Skrypnik is simply not admitted because they are not recognized as a canonical bishop. Moreover, his name is Patriarch of Kiev and all Ukraine(which Denisenko himself is now called - D.S.) - this is a mockery of the Church... To assign patriarchal dignity to the Local Church is the right of the entire Orthodox Church... With the so-called “patriarch” Mstislav Skrypnik, not a single Orthodox bishop can serve the Divine Liturgy, neither in Ukraine, nor in the USA, nor in any other country, because his church does not belong to the family of Orthodox Churches... Therefore, I believe that the UAOC is truly independent, but independent of all Orthodoxy"("Orthodox Bulletin" No. 1, 1991).
On July 1, 1992, the mentioned Skrypnik arrived to sort things out in Ukraine, where... he was immediately isolated in the former sanatorium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine near Kiev. The next day he met with President Kravchuk. Mstislav stated to the latter that the “unification council” has nothing to do with the “Kyiv Patriarchate of the UAOC.” This, they say, is nothing more than a personal matter between Denisenko and “unscrupulous politicians.” Without reaching an agreement with Kravchuk, and even less so with Filaret, Skrypnik left for the United States.
However, the Council for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers accepted the documents of the “unification council.” Their registration was so hasty that it turned out to be sealed for six months as a non-existent Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR. Therefore, it had no legal force.
On October 20, 1992, “patriarch” Mstyslav Skrypnyk distributed an Appeal to “the episcopate, clergy and laity of the UAOC,” in which he called not to recognize the “unification.” The appeal was accepted for execution by the “Cathedral of Bishops of the UAOC of Western Europe.”
On November 10, 1992, parishioners of the first “UAOC” community in Kyiv addressed the Council for Religious Affairs with an open letter, also condemning the “unification council.”
The next day Mstislav flies to Ukraine again. This time, journalists are allowed to see him, to whom he complains that he “doesn’t even have a place to stay the night.”
At the same time, the “bishops’ council of the UOC-KP” is taking place. Of course, without the blessing of her supposed “patriarch,” to which he refuses to attend. The “Council” adopts a provision assigning the duties of the “patriarch” to the “synod” in connection with the “permanent stay of the patriarch outside the country.”
Skrypnyk, who is “within the country”, submits an application addressed to President Kravchuk, Prime Minister Kuchma and Prosecutor General Shishkin with a demand to cancel the decision to liquidate the “UAOC”, return all rights to the “legally elected Patriarch of the Local Council of the UAOC”, and also bring to criminal liability the organizers of the “UOC” -KP.” After which he leaves for the United States, where six months later he dies without waiting for a decision on his application. Which followed literally a week after his death.
Based on a statement from People's Deputy Golovaty (now a member of the Venice Commission), the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine filed a protest against the registration of the UOC-KP. However, the case did not go to trial - Prosecutor General Shishkin was removed from office at the insistence of Kravchuk, and the Collegium of the Prosecutor General's Office was dissolved.
In the fall of the same year, Berkut dispersed a demonstration of supporters of the UAOC near the Presidential Administration. The next day, seven “UAOC bishops” were detained for protesting against legal arbitrariness against the “UAOC” and demanding the return of property, including the “patriarchy” building.
And again a bummer
In October 1993, elections for a new “patriarch of the UAOC” took place. And again, the ex-KGB agent was given a ride (in which the successors of the collaborators can be understood). In order to avoid complete failure of the idea with the “UOC-KP”, Deputy Prime Minister Zhulynsky gave a telephone command to elect as “patriarch” the former OUN member and Soviet dissident (though also an informer, which, however, not many knew about) Vasyl Romanyuk But the stolen treasury The UOC (MP) remained under the “deputy patriarch” (not to mention the “disappeared” party money, invested in advance by Kravchuk in Filaret and increased by the latter in his own bank). Therefore, the banquet on the occasion of the enthronement of the new “Ukrainian patriarch”, which Filaret prepared in honor of himself, was canceled without warning. The Ukrainian “elite” could only kiss the locks on the gates of the Mariinsky Palace.
At the end of October 1993, Kravchuk sent an Appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a request to contribute to “the establishment of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UOC-KP) in Ukraine.” However, immediately the subject of the petition began to fall apart from the inside. Within a month, five “bishops”, led by the “revivalist father” Anthony Masendich, left the UOC-KP. Moreover, they all issued a repentant appeal, in which they called on their former flock to return to the canonical Church, for Philaret and his false church were “leading them to eternal destruction.”
Romanyuk was thinking about the same thing. “He did not value his “patriarchate” at all, knowing its value,” admitted his closest assistant, “the governor of the patriarchal courtyard, Archimandrite Vikenty,” “he did not call Filareta anything other than “a brute.” In the last months of his life, he wanted to send Filaret to rest, issued a decree on his dismissal, came into contact with the hierarchs of the canonical Church, wanted to unite on canonical principles, with repentance.” By the way, the late Skrypnik on December 19, 1992, at a meeting with representatives of local authorities in Kharkov, stated that with the primate of the UOC (MP), Met. Vladimir “you can have a real contact, not a fake one.”
It is unlikely that this was a desire to annex the “UAOC” specifically to the Moscow Patriarchate. As the head of the press service of the UOC (MP), Vasily Anisimov, who personally knew Romanyuk, writes, “he did not harbor any illusions about his “patriarchal grace,” saying, not without humor, that “we have it on our noses,” but Romanyuk did not hide the fact that The goal of the “UOC-KP” is not serving God, but “fighting Moscow.” Most likely, in communication with the new primate of the UOC (MP), the latter’s inclination to take action to gain canonical autocephaly for the UOC (MP) was felt.
Was it due to communication with Met. Vladimir Sabodan or for more practical reasons, but Romanyuk began to search for the “privatized” treasury of the UOC (MP). In 1995, he asked for assistance from the Department for Combating Organized Crime, pointing out that Filaret had converted 3 billion rubles even before the collapse of the USSR. and placed them in foreign accounts. Romanyuk also asked for security, assuring that Filaret would try to “poison or deal with him.” The petitioner was provided with round-the-clock security for three days of preparation and holding of the “synod of the UOC-KP.” During this time (including at night), five attempts by Filaret members and deputies to attack the “patriarch” were stopped (as recorded in the police report). And yet, in the end, on May 4, 1995, Filaret was dismissed from the post of “deputy patriarch.”
And ten days later, the “patriarch” was found dead in the botanical garden with broken ribs and traces of injections in the heart. As the then head of the Department of External Church Relations of the UOC-KP said, Archimandrite. Vikenty, “Shortly before his death, Romanyuk broke down some door on Pushkinskaya and finally found Filaret’s archive, where there were copies of Filaret’s reports to the KGB of Ukraine for many years and even an appeal that he played some outstanding role in the Czechoslovak events of 1968 , and the government does not solve his housing and everyday problems.” According to the “archimandrite,” “Romanyuk was very happy about this find, since Filaret always boasted that he had incriminating evidence on everyone collected by the KGB, but here it turned out to be incriminating evidence on Filaret himself.”
Attempt No. 5
Denisenko’s dream of a patriarchal doll sewn back in 1990 (albeit of a Moscow cut) finally came true on October 21, 1995, when at the “local council of the UOC-KP” he elected himself “patriarch”. “To avoid misunderstandings” that occurred during the previous four attempts, the “elections” were held on a non-alternative basis. But “misunderstandings” were quite expected (on August 10, the “council of dean dioceses of the UOC-KP of western Ukraine” addressed Filaret with a demand to withdraw his candidacy for the patriarchal throne and “intensify dialogue” with the canonical Church) and they did happen: in protest against the “election Philaret" the next part of the "bishopric of the UOC-KP" (representing two-thirds of the "dioceses") went straight from the "council" to the "UAOC". The latter was officially restored on June 5, 1995 by the Council for Religious Affairs, for which Kravchuk, who had lost his presidential post, was no longer an authority.
Filaret again remained in the minority overwhelming his ambitions. Therefore, on October 22, 1995, when he ascended the “throne,” in his first sermon as a false patriarch, he passionately called for a “dialogue of love” with the Uniates. The same ones with which he frightened the Moscow Patriarchate, demanding first autonomy and then autocephaly for the Church in Ukraine.
However, “love with the Uniates” is a completely new page in the development of “Ukrainian Orthodoxy.” Worthy of separate study.
Dmitry Skvortsov,
specially for alternatio.org
Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate
Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate since 1995, former deputy of the previous Patriarchs of the UOC-KP Vladimir (Romanyuk) (1993-1995) and Mstislav (Skrypnyk) (1992-1993). Previously - His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine (1990-1992), Archbishop of Kiev and Galicia, Exarch of Ukraine (1966-1990). In 1997, he was excommunicated from the Church by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church for schismatic activities.
Mikhail Antonovich Denisenko (later Filaret) was born on January 28, 1929 in the village of Blagodatnoye, Amvrosievsky district, Donetsk region, into the family of a miner.
In 1946, Denisenko graduated from high school, after which he entered the third grade of the Odessa Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1948. In the same year, Denisenko entered the Moscow Theological Academy. While studying in his second year, on January 1, 1950, he was tonsured a monk under the name Philaret and appointed acting caretaker of the Patriarchal chambers in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In the same month he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon, and in 1952 to the rank of hieromonk.
In 1952, Filaret graduated from the academy with a candidate of theology degree and was appointed teacher of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament at the Moscow Theological Seminary. At the same time, Filaret served as dean of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In March 1954, he was awarded the title of associate professor.
In August 1956, Filaret was elevated to the rank of abbot and took the post of inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary. The following year he took a similar position at the Kyiv Theological Seminary. In July 1958, Filaret was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. In 1960, Archimandrite Philaret took the post of manager of the affairs of the Ukrainian Exarchate.
In May 1961, Filaret became rector of the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Alexandria (United Arab Republic), and held this post until January 1962.
In 1962, Filaret was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Luga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese (the sacrament of consecration, or ordination, took place on February 4, 1962). At the same time he was appointed manager of the Riga diocese. In the summer of the same year, he was relieved of his duties as vicar of the Leningrad diocese and appointed vicar of the Central European Exarchate with temporary control of the Central European Exarchate. In November of the same year he became Bishop of Vienna and Austria.
In December 1964, Firaret - already as Bishop of Dmitrov - became vicar of the Moscow diocese and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.
On May 14, 1966, Filaret was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Kyiv and Galicia, Exarch of Ukraine, and appointed a member of the Holy Synod. In this capacity, he began to take an active part in the international activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and in December of the same year headed the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kyiv. In this post, he continued to work actively, repeatedly traveling abroad as part of delegations of the Ukrainian Exarchate, the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church, taking part in various events - conferences, assemblies and congresses. In 1979, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR, Filaret was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and in 1988 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (the award to the clergyman was awarded by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR for active peacekeeping activities and in connection with the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus').
In May 1990, after the death of Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Rus', Filaret became locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne and one of the candidates for patriarch. To elect a new patriarch, an extraordinary local council was convened, which on June 7, 1990 elected Metropolitan Alexy (Alexy II) as the new head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, according to tradition, it was the Metropolitan of Kiev who was considered the second most important bishop of the Russian Church after the patriarch and the most influential of the permanent members of the Holy Synod. However, despite the fact that Filaret was the most likely candidate for the post of primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, many were not satisfied with his candidacy. In particular, his faulty moral character - his manner of behavior, rudeness, lust for power and “non-monastic” lifestyle - caused censure.
The election of a new patriarch took place against the backdrop of an intensification of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s struggle for independence. In January 1990, at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, a new “Regulation on Exarchates” was adopted, according to which the Ukrainian Exarchate was given more rights in self-government and building church life in accordance with its church-national traditions. In October of the same year, having considered the “Appeal of the UOC episcopate to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church” approved by the synod of the Ukrainian Exarchate, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to grant the UOC independence and autonomy in governance. After this, the name “Ukrainian Exarchate” was abolished, and Philaret, as the head of the UOC, was given the title “His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.” In November 1990, the local council of the UOC adopted a resolution: “To appeal to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' and the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church with a request to grant autocephaly to the UOC,” that is, complete canonical independence. Subsequently, the issue of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church was considered at meetings of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 25-26, 1991 and February 18-19, 1992, but no decision was made.
However, Filaret continued his activities aimed at separating the Ukrainian Church, relying on the support of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR Leonid Kravchuk (talking about the connections of the church hierarch with Kravchuk, the media called the Ukrainian leader “an old acquaintance of Filaret” from his work in the ideological sector of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine "). After Ukraine became an independent state in 1991, Kravchuk actively supported the work to create an independent church on the basis of the canonical UOC (the Uniate Church, as well as the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), were not suitable for this purpose, since they did not enjoy widespread popular support). It was noted that granting the UOC the status of canonical autocephaly could serve to unite the Orthodox churches of Ukraine into one denomination, which should have helped reduce religious confrontation in the country, and therefore increase the socio-political stability of Ukrainian society.
In January 1992, after Kravchuk took over as President of Ukraine in December 1991, Filaret convened the Ukrainian Bishops' Conference, which adopted an appeal to the Patriarch, the Holy Synod and all bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. It contained accusations of deliberately delaying a positive resolution of the issue of autocephaly of the UOC. “We humbly declare that our desire to gain full canonical independence, forced by new historical conditions, is dictated solely by the good of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and not by pressure from the state,” this address said, in particular.
The topic of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was discussed by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in the spring of 1992 (Filaret was not present at it). It was announced to the participants of the council that Filaret, using the autonomy granted to the UOC as “a tool for strengthening his personal power in the Ukrainian Church,” was putting pressure on Ukrainian bishops and priests in order to force them to support autocephaly. Gradually, the discussion of the problem of autocephaly “grew into a discussion about the immoral behavior of the Kyiv Metropolitan and his gross miscalculations in the management” of the UOC. As a result, the council invited Filaret to voluntarily leave the post of primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Filaret promised to do this and gave his word as a bishop that he would not create any obstacles to the free expression of the UOC when electing its new first hierarch. However, later he refused to resign from his duties as the head of the UOC and renounced the bishop’s oath given to him, which marked the beginning of a new schism, which went down in the history of Orthodoxy under the name “Filaret’s.” Filaret explained his actions by saying that the promise he made to vacate the post of head of the UOC was forced and therefore insincere. According to him, he could not leave under the circumstances, “because he is responsible for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church before God.” Filaret never convened a council at which he would have resigned and at which a new Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine would have been elected.
However, in May of the same 1992, the Bishops' Council of the UOC was assembled. He removed Filaret from the Kyiv See and from the post of first hierarch of the UOC, while enrolling him on the staff, but with a ban on the priesthood. The episcopate, by a majority vote, elected the bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk Vladimir (Viktor Sabodan), as the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On June 11, 1992, the Judicial Act of the Council of Bishops “for a cruel and arrogant attitude... towards the subordinate clergy, dictatorship and blackmail... introducing temptation among believers with one’s behavior and personal life”, for perjury (failure to fulfill the promise to convene a Council of Bishops in Kiev and submit to it resignation given under the cross and the Gospel), as well as "public slander and blasphemy of the Council of Bishops... performing sacred rites, including ordinations, in a state of prohibition... causing a schism in the Church" Filaret was deposed from the dignity, with his deprivation of "all degrees of the priesthood and all rights associated with being in the clergy."
In response to this, supporters of Filaret’s policy convened a Unification Council in Kyiv on June 25-26, 1992. On it, as a result of the unification of part of the representatives of the UOC (Moscow Patriarchate) and the UAOC, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) was created. In the same year, Filaret became the deputy of the Patriarch of the UOC-KP Mstislav (Skrypnyk), after whose death in 1993 he became the deputy of the new Patriarch Vladimir (Romanyuk). On July 14, 1995, Vladimir died under mysterious circumstances, and on October 25, 1995, Filaret was elected Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
But in subsequent years, Filaret, referred to in the Russian press as a “false patriarch,” heading the Kiev Patriarchate, actively contributed to attempts to unite the UOC-KP and the UAOC into the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It was noted that his activities were carried out with the assistance of the Ukrainian authorities and were highly appreciated by them - Filaret was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise II, III, IV and V degrees "for a special significant contribution to the construction of the Local Orthodox Church in Ukraine, many years of church activity in establishing ideals spirituality, mercy and interfaith harmony in society." At the end of 2005, Filaret's supporters asked Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with a request to recognize the Kyiv Patriarchate as an independent local autocephalous church. In 2007, the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) “expressed bewilderment” at the proposal he made about possible negotiations with “false shepherds.”
At the end of July 2008, celebrations took place in Kyiv on the occasion of the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexy II and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople were invited to them, but Filaret was not present at the official events. Meanwhile, Yushchenko, speaking after the solemn service performed by Patriarch Bartholomew, again spoke about a national local autocephalous church and asked the primate of the Church of Constantinople to bless its creation. In his response, Bartholomew reserved for himself “not only the right, but also the obligation to support, within the established Orthodox tradition, any constructive proposal that would eliminate dangerous divisions in the church body as quickly as possible.” "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" noted on this occasion that Bartholomew's speech "was very vague" and as a result, it remained unclear what exactly was hidden "behind such streamlined formulations." Indeed, a number of media outlets reported that Bartholomew did not give his blessing to the creation of a local Ukrainian church, and Yushchenko’s speech clearly did not add to his popularity among “believers who consider themselves to be part of the flock of the Moscow Patriarchate.” However, the very next day the ITAR-TASS agency announced that the Patriarch of Constantinople “supports the creation of a single Orthodox Church in Ukraine, but within the framework of canonicity.” “We are interested in a united Ukrainian church,” the agency quoted Bartholomew as saying. In turn, the head of the State Committee of Ukraine for Religious Affairs, Alexander Sagan, called not to dramatize the fact that the Patriarch of Constantinople did not express open support for the idea of creating a local church independent of Moscow. “Whatever opposition exists, this process is objective and cannot be stopped,” he said.
Beginning in September 2011, Filaret again held negotiations with representatives of the UAOC “to restore the unity of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.” At the same time, however, already in October it became known that a number of the highest hierarchs of the UAOC opposed these negotiations, because they feared that as a result of the unification with the UOC-KP, their church could dissolve in the structures of the latter. In December, negotiations were finally stopped due to the fact that the head of the UAOC, Methodius, insisted on the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch and that Filaret renounce the patriarchal rank.
Filaret - Doctor of Theology honoris causa (1982), author of numerous works on theology [
From 1966 to 1990 - exarch of Ukraine, in May-June 1990 - locum tenens of the patriarchal throne of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as one of the candidates for the patriarchal throne at the Local Council in June 1990; from 1990 to 1992 - Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.
In 1991, he became a supporter of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In 1992, part of the clergy and laity left the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, forming the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which is not recognized by any of the local Orthodox Churches. Since October 20, 1995, he has been its primate with the title “Patriarch of Kiev and All Rus'-Ukraine.”
Biography
Born in 1929 in the village of Blagodatnoye, Amvrosievsky district, Donetsk region, in the family of a miner.
In the Moscow Patriarchate
In 1946, after graduating from high school, he entered the third grade of the Odessa Theological Seminary (before reaching the full 18 years required by Soviet law - in the first post-war years, this norm was not strictly observed in the territories liberated from occupation).
In 1948, after graduating from the seminary, he entered the Moscow Theological Academy.
On January 1, 1950, in his second year at the academy, he was tonsured a monk with the name Filaret and appointed acting caretaker of the Patriarchal Apartments in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
On January 15, 1950, Patriarch Alexy I ordained him a hierodeacon. In 1952, on the day of Pentecost, he was ordained hieromonk. In the same year, after graduating from the academy with a candidate of theology degree, he was appointed teacher of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament at the Moscow Theological Seminary; also served as dean of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
In March 1954, he received the rank of associate professor and was appointed senior assistant inspector.
In August 1956, he was elevated to the rank of abbot and appointed inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary.
Since 1957 - inspector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary.
On July 12, 1958, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary. He served as rector until the seminary was closed in 1960.
Since 1960 he was the manager of the affairs of the Ukrainian Exarchate. From May 1961 to January 1962 - rector of the Russian Orthodox Church metochion under the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Alexandria (Egypt).
On February 4, 1962, he was consecrated Bishop of Luga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, and appointed administrator of the Riga diocese. The rite of consecration was performed by: Metropolitan of Leningrad and Ladoga Pimen (Izvekov), Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov Nikodim (Rotov) and bishops: Kazan and Mari Mikhail (Voskresensky), Tambov and Michurinsky Mikhail (Chub), Novgorod and Starorussky Sergius (Golubtsov), Dmitrovsky Kiprian (Zernov), Kostroma and Galich Nikodim (Rusnak).
On June 16, 1962, he was relieved of his duties as vicar of the Leningrad diocese and appointed vicar of the Central European Exarchate with temporary management of the Central European Exarchate.
On October 10, 1962, he was released from the temporary administration of the Central European Exarchate and on November 16 of the same year he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria.
Since December 22, 1964 - Bishop of Dmitrovsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.
On February 22, 1965, he was appointed chairman of the Commission for the preparation of materials for the Theological Encyclopedia.
Since May 14, 1966 - Archbishop of Kiev and Galicia, Exarch of Ukraine and permanent member of the Holy Synod.
On March 20, 1969, he was included in the Commission of the Holy Synod on Christian Unity, and from December 16 of the same year - chairman of the branch of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kyiv.
On June 25, 1970, he was appointed a member of the Commission of the Holy Synod for the preparation of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
On March 3, 1976, he was elected to the Holy Synod Commission on Christian Unity and Inter-Church Relations.
November 21-28, 1976 - head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the first Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference in Geneva.
On November 14, 1979, the diploma of Doctor of Theology honoris causa was awarded at the Budapest Reformed Theological Academy.
On November 16, 1979, he was appointed chairman of the Holy Synod Commission on Christian Unity.
On May 17-23, 1980, at the invitation of His Beatitude Metropolitan of Prague and all Czechoslovakia, Dorotheus was in Czechoslovakia, where on May 20, the Presov Theological Faculty awarded him the title of Doctor of Theology “honoris causa”;
On May 3, 1990, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pimen, died; On the same day, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church took place, at which Metropolitan Philaret of Kiev was elected Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne.
In May 1990, at a meeting with the clergy of the Ternopil diocese, Filaret condemned the participants in the autocephalous schism, saying that the schismatics were acting on the direct orders of nationalist organizations that had settled abroad.
On June 6, at the patriarchal residence in the Danilov Monastery, a Council of Bishops was held, electing three candidates for the patriarchal throne: Metropolitan Alexy (Ridiger) of Leningrad and Novgorod, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of Rostov and Novocherkassk and Metropolitan Philaret (Denisenko) of Kyiv and Galicia. Having long-standing and close ties with the country’s leadership, Filaret hoped that it would be he who would lead the Russian Orthodox Church. According to Metropolitan Nikodim, “on the eve of the elections he went to A.I. Lukyanov and said that there was an agreement with the Central Committee that he would be the Patriarch. To which Lukyanov replied: “Mikhail Antonovich, now we cannot help you: as the Council decides, so it will be.” As a result of a secret vote on June 7, members of the Local Council received 66 votes, while 139 votes were cast for Metropolitan Alexy and 107 for Vladimir.
In July 1990, the Ukrainian episcopate submitted a petition for autonomy for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 25-27, 1990 abolished the Ukrainian Exarchate; The Metropolitan of Kiev became the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the title “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine”; within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church he was given the title “His Beatitude”.
During the August 1991 coup, he came out in support of the State Emergency Committee. After the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR proclaimed the independence of Ukraine on August 24, 1991, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk became its first president, Metropolitan Philaret sharply changed his beliefs to radically opposite ones. Filaret Denisenko receives instructions to create “an independent church in an independent state.” Metropolitan Philaret headed the Council of the UOC, convened by the Council of Bishops of the UOC on November 1, 1991, which unanimously decided on complete independence, that is, autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Council addressed Patriarch Alexy II and the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church with this decision, but the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on April 2, 1992 transferred its consideration to the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Being accused of various sins, Filaret made a cross-kissing promise to resign. However, upon returning to Kyiv, he announced to his flock that he did not recognize the charges brought against his request to grant independence to the Ukrainian Church and that he would lead the Ukrainian Orthodox Church until the end of his days, since he was “given by God to Ukrainian Orthodoxy.”
In 1991-1992, information appeared in the media that Filaret (Denisenko) was closely associated with the KGB, in whose reports he appeared as an agent under the pseudonym “Antonov”. He himself does not deny his past contacts with the Soviet secret police and espionage agencies: “As for the KGB, it must be said that all the bishops without exception were connected with the State Security Committee. All without exception! In Soviet times, no one could become a bishop unless the KGB gave consent. Therefore, it would be untrue to say that I was not connected with the KGB. He was tied up like everyone else."
On May 27, 1992, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Nikodim (Rusnak) of Kharkov, the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kharkov (consisting of 18 bishops) “expressed no confidence in Metropolitan Philaret (Denisenko) and dismissed him from the Kyiv See<…>prohibited him from serving in the priesthood until the decision of the Bishops' Council of the Mother Church"
Defamation and anathema
On June 11, 1992, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church MP decided to “expel Metropolitan Philaret (Denisenko) from his existing rank, depriving him of all degrees of the priesthood and all rights associated with being in the clergy” for “cruel and arrogant attitude towards the subordinate clergy, dictatorship and blackmail (Titus 1, 7-8; Holy Apostles canon 27), introducing temptation into the environment of believers by their behavior and personal life (Matthew 18, 7; First Ecumenical Council canon 3-e, Fifth-Sixth Ecumenical Council canon 5th) , perjury (canon 25 of the Holy Apostles), public slander and blasphemy against the Council of Bishops (Second Ecumenical Council, canon 6), performing sacred rites, including ordinations in a state of prohibition (canon 28 of the Holy Apostles), causing a schism in the Church ( Rule 15 of the Double Council. Filaret did not admit his guilt and did not submit to the decision of the Council, considering it uncanonical and illegal.
On February 21, 1997, at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in the St. Daniel Monastery in Moscow, he was excommunicated and anathematized. The resolution of the Council charged Philaret with the following: “Monk Philaret did not heed the call to repentance addressed to him on behalf of the Mother Church and continued during the inter-council period schismatic activity, which he extended beyond the borders of the Russian Orthodox Church, contributing to the deepening of the schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and accepting communication of schismatics from other Local Orthodox Churches.” Filaret does not recognize the excommunication, since, from his point of view, it was committed for political reasons, thus being invalid.
Activities in the UOC KP
After his defrocking and the creation on June 25, 1992 of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), unrecognized by the local Orthodox Churches, Metropolitan Filaret became the deputy of Patriarch Mstislav (Skrypnyk).
After the death of Mstislav, in 1993 he became the deputy of the new Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine Vladimir (Romanyuk), who died under mysterious circumstances in 1995.
On October 20, 1995, the Local Council of the UOC-KP elected Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine. The enthronement took place on October 22, 1995 at the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.
Awards
State awards of the USSR
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1979, in connection with the 50th anniversary of his birth);
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1988, in connection with the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus');
State awards of Ukraine
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise V (1999), IV (2002), III (2004, in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth), II (2006) and I (2008, in connection with the celebration of the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus) degrees . The first (at the same time as Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan)) in the history of the award system of independent Ukraine to be a full holder of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise;
- Order of Liberty (2009, in connection with the 80th anniversary of his birth);
- Cross of Ivan Mazepa (January 20, 2010)
Other awards
While a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was awarded numerous church orders from both the Moscow Patriarchate and other local Orthodox Churches.
The Holy Synod of the UOC-KP awarded him church orders - St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, I degree (1999, in connection with the anniversary of the 70th anniversary of his birth) and St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, I degree (2004, in connection with the anniversary of the 75th anniversary of his birth) birthday).
Canonical status in world Orthodoxy
The defrocking and excommunication carried out by the Councils of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church are also recognized by other local Orthodox Churches.
On January 15 of the same year, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy ordained him to the rank of hierodeacon, and on June 18 of the year, on the Day of the Holy Trinity, to the rank of hieromonk.
On February 4 of the year, he was consecrated Bishop of Luga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese and appointed administrator of the Riga diocese. The rite of consecration was performed by: Metropolitan Pimen of Leningrad and Ladoga, Archbishop Nikodim of Yaroslavl and Rostov, and bishops: Mikhail of Kazan and Mari, Mikhail of Tambov and Michurin, Sergius of Novgorod and Old Russia, Cyprian of Dmitrov, Nikodim of Kostroma and Galich.The next day, May 27, followed the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kharkov, to which Metropolitan Philaret did not want to appear. The Council expressed no confidence in him and dismissed him from the Kyiv See, and for committing schismatic actions, as a pre-trial measure, banned him from serving in the priesthood until a decision on this issue was made by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Church.
At a meeting on May 28, the Holy Synod of the Russian Church expressed agreement with the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Church and appointed the convening of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Church for June 11. Metropolitan Philaret received a three-time summons to the Council of Bishops from Patriarch Alexy, but did not appear at the meetings, after which the Council, according to the canons, could consider the case of the accused in his absence. Meanwhile, ignoring the decisions of the Council and Synod, prohibited from serving in the clergy, Filaret continued to perform divine services and even episcopal “consecrations.”
After separation from the Moscow Patriarchate and the creation of the schismatic organization "Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate" (UOC-KP) in 2008, he became deputy to Patriarch Mstislav (Skrypnyk), after whose death in 1993 he became deputy to the new Patriarch Vladimir (Romanyuk), who died in 1995 year.
Awards
- Church:
- the right to wear the second panagia (decree of Patriarch Pimen June 17, 1971)
- personalized panagia (in connection with the 25th anniversary of episcopal consecration 1987)
- personalized panagia (for active participation in the preparation and holding of anniversary celebrations dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' on July 4, 1988)
- Secular:
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR on January 23, 1979)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for active peacekeeping activities and in connection with the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' on June 3, 1988)
- Order of Yaroslav the Wise, V degree (1999)
- Order of Yaroslav the Wise, IV degree (2001)
- Order of Yaroslav the Wise, III degree (2004)
- Order of Yaroslav the Wise, II degree (2006)
- Order of Yaroslav the Wise, 1st degree (2008)
- Order of Liberty (2009)
Proceedings
- "The doctrine of the atonement of the holy fathers of the 4th century - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian." (PhD essay).
- Speech at the naming of Bishop of Luga. JMP. 1962, No. 3, p. 12.
- "In the name of unity and peace." (Pilgrimage of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy to the shrines of the East). JMP. 1961, No. 3, p. 10-64.
- "Visiting Anglican monks." JMP. 1960, no. 8.
- "Participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the work of the World Peace Congress in Helsinki." JMP. 1965, no. 10.
- "In the name of brotherhood and friendship." JMP. 1967, No. 3, p. 9-12.
- "Cyril and Methodius celebrations in Thessaloniki." JMP. 1967, No. 3, p. 50-54.
- “The works of Saints Cyril and Methodius on the territory of the Russian state in Russian historical literature”: (Report at the anniversary of the 1100th anniversary of the beginning of the educational activities of Saints Cyril and Methodius, read in Thessaloniki on October 22, 1966). JMP. 1967, No. 3, p. 55-58.
- Address on events in Greece (Easter, 1967). JMP. 1967, No. 6, p. 7-8.
- Message on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. JMP. 1968, No. 1, p. 7-9.
- Speech at the presentation of the bishop's staff to Bishop Savva (Babinets) on March 30, 1969. JMP. 1969, No. 6, p. 11-14.
- “Fundamentals, practice and prospects for joint efforts of various religions in support of cooperation and peace between peoples”: (Co-report at the first meeting of the 5th working group of the Conference of Representatives of All Religions in the USSR, July 2, 1969). JMP. 1969, No. 9, p. 53-59.
- Speech at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. JMP. 1971, No. 8, p. 7-14.
- Speech at the presentation of the bishop's staff to Bishop Nikolai (Bychkovsky). JMP. 1971, No. 8, p. 32-34.
- Speech at the opening of the interview of theologians of the Russian Orthodox Church. Churches and Churches of the Brethren in the USA. JMP. 1971, No. 10, p. 53-59.
- Speech at a reception hosted by the League of Religious Leaders of Japan in honor of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, October 16. 1970 JMP. 1970, No. 12, p. 38-39.
- Speech at a reception at the Association of New Religions on October 23, 1970. JMP. 1970, No. 12, p. 40-41.
- Speech at a reception in Tokyo 29 Oct. 1970 JMP. 1979, No. 12, p. 41-42.
- Speech at the presentation of the archpastoral staff to Bishop Varlaam (Ilyushchenko) October 22. 1972. JMP. 1973, No. 1, p. 15-18.
- "Fraternal visit of the Moscow Patriarch to the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church." JMP. 1973, No. 6, p. 8-16.
- Word on the name day of St. Patriarch Pimen September 9, 1973. JMP. 1973, No. 10, p. 16.
- "World Congress of Peace Forces." JMP. 1973, No. 12, p. 41-43.
- "Fraternal visit of the Church delegation of the Soviet Union to India." JMP. 1975, No. 5, p. 70-72; No. 6, p. 55-61.
- Speech at the presentation of the bishop's staff to Bishop Agathangel of Vinnitsa and Bratslav, November 16. 1975 ZhMP. 1976, no. 3, p. 10-12.
- Interview with APN correspondent on February 20, 1976. JMP. 1976, no. 5, p. 4-5.
- Speech before the opening ceremony on May 15, 1976 in Lvov. JMP. 1976, no. 9, p. 9-10.
- Sermon at the ecumenical service at Erfoot Cathedral, 12 September. 1976 ZhMP. 1976, No. 12, p. 53.
- Word at the presentation of the archpastoral staff to Bishop Sebastian of Kirovograd and Nikolaev. JMP. 1978, No. 1, p. 31.
- Word at the presentation of the archpastoral staff to Bishop John of Zhitomir and Ovruch. JMP. 1978, No. 2, p. 18-19.
- Speech at the opening of the 3rd theological interview in Kyiv by representatives of Russian. Right Churches and the Union of Evangelical Churches in the GDR, 2 Oct. 1978. JMP. 1978, No. 12, p. 53.
- "On the Fifth All-Christian Peace Congress." JMP. 1979, No. 2, p. 43-49.
- Word at the presentation of the bishop's staff to Bishop Lazarus of Argentina, April 18. 1980 JMP. 1980, no. 7, p. 35.
- "Word on the day of the 70th anniversary of Holy Patriarch Pimen." JMP. 1980, no. 9, p. 14.
- Speech at the presentation of the diploma of Doctor of Theology to him from the Prešov Faculty of Theology on May 20, 1980. JMP. 1980, No. 10, p. 41.
- A word of congratulations to the saint. Patriarch Pimen on his name day, September 9. 1980 JMP. 1980, No. 11, p. 6.
- Word on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo in the All Saints Cathedral in Tula on September 18. 1980 JMP. 1980, No. 12, p. 14.
- Speech at the World Parliament of Nations for Peace. JMP. 1980, No. 12, p. 45.
- Report at the opening of the COPR meeting (Eisenach, October 14, 1980). JMP. 1981, No. 1, p. 38.
- “The Local Church and the Universal Church”: (Report at the theological symposium “Pro Oriente” in Vienna on December 1, 1980. ZhMP. 1981, No. 3, pp. 70-76; No. 4, pp. 60-67.
- "On the spiritual appearance of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel." JMP. 1981, No. 5, p. 55-60.
- A word about forgiveness of grievances. JMP. 1981, No. 6, p. 36.
- Report at the solemn act of celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Lviv Church Council of 1946 (May 16, 1981). JMP. 1981, No. 10, p. 6-13.
- Sermon at the Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral, December 4. 1982 JMP. 1983, no. 2, p. 17.
- On the decisions of the Second Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference. JMP. 1983, no. 8, p. 53; No. 9, p. 46; No. 10, p. 44; No. 11, p. 43.
- Speech at the presentation of the diploma of Doctor of Theology "honoris causa" by the Faculty of Theology. Jan Hus in Prague. JMP. 1984, No. 10, p. 58; No. 11, p. 61.
- Answers to questions from a correspondent of the Italian newspaper "Unita" February 21. 1985 ZhMP. 1985, no. 6, p. 63.
- "V1st All-Christian Peace Congress "Global threat to humanity - a global strategy for peace." (Report read on July 4, 1985 at the Congress). ZhMP. 1985, No. 10, p. 38.
- Sermon in the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on July 23, 1985. ZhMP. 1985, No. 11, p. 8.
- Report at the solemn act dedicated to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Lviv Church Council (Lviv, May 17-19, 1986). JMP. 8, p. 5-9.
Literature
- JMP. 1962, No. 2, p. 23; No. 3, p. 11-16; No. 4, p. 18; No. 7, p. 20, 36; No. 11, p. 9; No. 12, p. 12.
- -"-, 1963, No. 2, pp. 18, 20, No. 3, pp. 9, 10; No. 6, pp. 11, 13; No. 6, pp. 10, 11; No. 10, p. 14.
- -"-, 1965, No. 1, p. 5; No. 4, p. 5.
- -"-, 1966, No. 6, p. 1; No. 7, p. 9-13; No. 11, p. 1; No. 12, p. 7-9, 33, 38.
- -"-, 1967, No. 1, p. 7, 40; No. 4, p. 20; No. 6, p. 50, 52; No. 9, p. 30; No. 10, p. 3, 8; No. 12, p. 3.
- -"-, 1968, No. 1, p. 14, 25; No. 2, p. 27, 50-54; No. 3, p. 3; No. 5, p. 3, 19; No. 8, p. 1; No. 9, p. 4; No. 11, p. 11; No. 12, p. 34.
- -"-, 1969, No. 1, p. 29; No. 2, p. 4, 28; No. 3, p. 24; No. 4, p. 6; No. 6, p. 9; No. 7, p. 10; No. 8, p. 1; No. 9, p. 5, 31; No. 11, p. 12.
- -"-, 1970, No. 1, p. 5; No. 3, p. 5; No. 4, p. 10, 12, 31; No. 6, p. 11-32; No. 7, p. 10, 11; No. 8, p. 9; No. 9, p. 20; No. 10, p. 6; No. 11, p. 2, 5; No. 12, p. 11, 37-43.
- -"-, 1971, No. 1, p. 5; No. 6, p. 1; No. 7, p. 1; No. 8, p. 45; No. 9, p. 30, 31, 35; No. 10, p. 1, No. 11, pp. 5, 13.
- -"-, 1972, No. 2, p. 27; No. 5, p. 1, 17; No. 6, p. 1-12; No. 8, p. 17; No. 9, p. 24; No. 10, p. 2, 54; No. 11, p. 27; No. 12, p. 17.
- -"-, 1973, No. 1, p. 13; No. 3, p. 1; No. 4, p. 24; No. 6, p. 8; No. 7, p. 11, 13; No. 8, p. 8, 11; No. 9, pp. 11, 13; No. 10, pp. 15, 24; No. 11, pp. 9, 27.
- -"-, 1974, No. 2, p. 11, 40; No. 3, p. 28; No. 7, p. 16; No. 8, p. 31; No. 9, p. 9; No. 10, p. 26; No. 11, pp. 8, 9; No. 12, pp. 4.
- -"-, 1975, No. 2, p. 4; No. 3, p. 13, 57; No. 4, p. 3; No. 6, p. 4; No. 8, p. 13; No. 9, p. 50- 57, No. 10, p. 28.
- -"-, 1976, No. 1, p. 23; No. 2, p. 12; No. 3, p. 7; No. 4, p. 5, 6; No. 6, p. 6; No. 7, p. 11, 25; No. 8, p. 37; No. 9, p. 5, 62; No. 10, p. 18; No. 12, p. 10.
- -"-, 1977, No. 2, p. 4, 25; No. 3, p. 7, 8; No. 4, p. 20; No. 5, p. 4, 6, 17; No. 8, p. 4; No. 10, pp. 2, 9; No. 11, pp. 3, 6, 11, 44.
- -"-, 1978, No. 1, pp. 29, 31, 45; No. 2, pp. 7, 14, 18; No. 5, pp. 6, 7; No. 6, pp. 4, 19, 29, 30; No. 9, pp. 15, 16, 17; No. 10, pp. 7, 20, 21; No. 11, pp. 7, 22, 23; No. 12, pp. 10, 17.
- -"-, 1979, No. 1, p. 23; No. 2, p. 17; No. 4, p. 5, 15; No. 5, p. 4, 5, 30; No. 7, p. 12; No. 8, pp. 5; No. 9, pp. 8, 57; No. 10, pp. 5; No. 11, pp. 2, 21, 22; No. 12, pp. 4, 6, 9, 11, 42.
- -"-, 1980, No. 1, p. 12, 53; No. 3, p. 3; No. 4, p. 3; No. 5, p. 18, 20; No. 6, p. 15, 50; No. 7, pp. 32, 35; No. 9, pp. 12, 34; No. 10, pp. 3, 40; No. 11, pp. 6, 40; No. 12, pp. 4, 8, 9, 28, 31, 42.
- -"-, 1981, No. 1, p. 6, 9; No. 2, p. 4, 9, 15; No. 5, p. 5, 41; No. 6, p. 7, 19, 27, 48; No. 7 , pp. 27, 28, 50; No. 8, pp. 20, 21, 65; No. 9, pp. 22, 66; No. 10, pp. 29, 37, 63; No. 11, pp. 4, 8, 17 , 20; No. 12, p. 9.
- -"-, 1982, No. 1, p. 9, 20; No. 2, p. 7, 52; No. 3, p. 17, 27, 58; No. 5, p. 6, 58; No. 7, p. 4 -7, 10, 27, 58; No. 8, p. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 45, 46, 53; No. 9, p. 3, 60; No. 10, p. 4; No. 12, p. 101, 108, 127.
- -"-, 1983, No. 1, p. 57; No. 2, p. 8, 44, 47; No. 5, p. 2, 66; No. 6, p. 26; No. 7, p. 53; No. 8, pp. 4, 9; No. 9, pp. 5, 21; No. 10, pp. 41, 62; No. 12, pp. 8, 9.
- -"-, 1984, No. 1, p. 34; No. 2, p. 52; No. 4, p. 5; No. 5, p. 8; No. 9, p. 6, 50; No. 10, p. 52; No. 11, pp. 5, 12, 14; No. 12, pp. 5, 18.
- -"-, 1985, No. 2, pp. 6, 8, 9, 29; No. 5, pp. 6, 8; No. 9, p. 78; No. 10, pp. 12, 13; No. 11, p. 35 ; No. 12, pp. 10, 13.
- -"-, 1986, No. 4, p. 36; No. 5, p. 36, 41.
- -"-, 1987, No. 4, p. 5;
- -"-, 1988, No. 10, p. 7.
- Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Philaret, Exarch of All Ukraine: Biography // ZhMP. 1990. No. 7. P. 5-6.
