Metropolitan Epifaniy on conflict with former UOC-KP Primate: we want OCU to be managed conciliarly, not by one person
Patriarch Emeritus Filaret wants to be the sole beneficiary of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said Metropolitan Epifaniy on Radio NV.
“After the Unification Council and after receipt of the Tomos, we have had some differences in the future vision of building the one Local Orthodox Church, of the model of governance of the unified church,” said Metropolitan Epifaniy.
According to him, the stakeholder of the Tomos is not a certain person, but the Ukrainian people.
“But now we see that one particular figure [Filaret Ed.] wants to be a single beneficiary, one stakeholder. But we want this Church to be managed in the future in a conciliar way, and not by one person. [...] Unfortunately, certain power ambitions on the part of Patriarch Emeritus Filaret may ruin all the centuries-old hopes of the Ukrainian people to have their local Orthodox Church,” added the Primate.
As reported, Patriarch Emeritus Filaret of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine declared that he would not accept the Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, since he had not been familiarized with the contents before receiving it.
On June 3, Patriarch Filaret convened an emergency meeting of the clergy of the Kyiv diocese of the OCU. According to the media, at the meeting he announced the holding of the Local Council which will restore the UOC-KP.
“The Kyiv Patriarchate will continue to exist lawfully ... even when I die, a new patriarch will be elected,” Filaret said.
On May 24, the Holy Synod of the OCU expressed its full support to Metropolitan Epifaniy and refused to support the demands of Patriarch Emeritus Filaret on the changes to the Charter of the Church.
According to Metropolitan Epifaniy, the OCU will continue to comply with the provisions of the Tomos.
On May 14, Patriarch Emeritus Filaret released a statement in which he announced that the Kyiv Patriarchate continues to exist, and he remains its effective Patriarch.
Filaret is also unsatisfied with the Greeks’ custom-built Charter of the OCU and announced his intention to amend it.
On May 23, Patrarch Emeritus Filaret stated that he would not comply with some parts of the provisions of the Tomos of autocephaly.
