Head of Kiev Patriarchate: Tomos brings separation upon Ukraine

"Patriarch of Kiev and All Rus-Ukraine" Filaret Denisenko. Photo: News One

With the arrival of Tomos, Ukraine not only didn’t get anything good but a division emerged in the previously united UOC-KP, the head of this religious organization Filaret Denisenko said in an interview with the Comments.ua Internet edition.

“We have not gained anything good for Ukraine. On the contrary, a large church of the Kiev Patriarchate, once united, got split. Society was divided along with it. Because there are Ukrainians who support the Kiev Patriarchate and there are Ukrainians and clergy who support the OCU, not to mention the existence of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate,” said Filaret. “It means we were in the best condition, because we had a single large church of the Kiev Patriarchate, and now this large church is divided. This causes great harm to Ukraine as a state.”

The patriarch of Kiev and All Ukraine recalled the statements of the UAOC head, who had previously promised to remove his religious organization from the newly created church structure, if the Kiev Patriarchate separated from the OCU.

“I can’t say anything about the Autocephalous Church: whether it will break away from the OCU or not. If it happens, there will be four churches. It was three, now it will be four. But at one time, Metropolitan Makariy, head of the Autocephalous Church, stated that if the Kiev Patriarchate left the OCU, then the Autocephalous Church could do the same. I do not know whether it will do it or not. But the relevant statement was made by Metropolitan Makariy,” Filaret concluded.

Recall that Makariy Maletich himself suggested complaining about Filaret to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople but decided to follow the example of the “patriarch of Kiev and All Rus-Ukraine” – and promised that, for all the conditions of the Tomos, he would not liquidate the UAOC until the head of the Kiev Patriarchate did not liquidate the UOC-KP.

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