April 18, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Will the Greek Church impose an anathema on the Filaretites?

The tragicomic series called “The Battle of Filaret with His Disciples” continues. On February 2, a synod of the OCU was held, which: asked the Church of Greece for an anathema for the Greek “hierarchs” of Filaret, announced a ban on service and absentee defrocking for three “hierarchs” defectors from the OCU to the UOC-KP, named all the persons “ordained” by Filaret “ robbers provoking division in the UOC” (meaning the OCU – Ed). But what about the main culprit? After all, it is necessary to punish, first of all, him? Sergei Dumenko graciously forgave Filaret. As stated in the decision: “Out of respect for previous merits, given his age and state of health, the synod applies extreme economy to the honorary patriarch at rest, without taking tougher canonical measures to respond to the violations he committed.” It’s just that it’s not clear why Filaret’s current associates “for a gross violation of the canonical order, participation in illegal meetings and so-called episcopal consecrations in Kiev were banned from serving,” but Filaret, who organized all this, was not. The only thing the OCU decided to “punish” Filaret with was the form of address. Now it is not “most holy”, but “most reverend” (this is the name of an ordinary bishop). If the Greek Church imposes an anathema on the Greek “hierarchs” of Filaret, the Phanar and the Greek churches will no longer be able to “not notice” the UOC-KP. And accordingly, the soap bubble of their lies about “overcoming the schism in Ukraine by his divine All-Holiness Bartholomew” will burst. Reference:
Filaret (in the world Mikhail Antonovich Denisenko, Ukrainian Mikhailo Antonovich Denisenko; born January 23, 1929, Blagodatnoye village, Amvrosievsky district, Stalinsky district, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Soviet and Ukrainian religious figure. Hero of Ukraine (2019).

From October 20, 1995 to December 15, 2018 and from May 14, 2019, he was the primate of the non-canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate with the title “Patriarch of Kiev and All Russia-Ukraine”.

Former bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, from 1966 to 1990 – Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia, Patriarchal Exarch of All Ukraine, then – Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). In May-June 1990 he was the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was one of the candidates for the patriarchal throne during the election of the Patriarch of Moscow at the Local Council in June 1990. Since 1991, he actively sought the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In 1992, with a part of the clergy and laity, he left the Russian Orthodox Church, forming the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, which is not recognized by any of the Local Orthodox Churches.

Deprived of dignity in 1992, excommunicated (anathematized) by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1997. On October 11, 2018, the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, having “considered the appeal” of Filaret (Denisenko), restored him to church communion as a bishop without a cathedra (“former Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia”). This decision was not recognized either by the Russian Orthodox Church or by Filaret (Denisenko) himself, who stated that Bartholomew deceived the Ukrainians by promising him the position of patriarch, and in return giving him only a metropolis, and even without a seat…



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