Honorable Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) has said that anti-Ukrainian forces are exerting influence on OCU leader Metropolitan Epiphanius (Epifany).
“Almost all of the decisions made at the Synod [meeting on May 24] aimed for Ukraine not to have the Kyiv Patriarchate. Interestingly, our church leader, Metropolitan Epiphanius, is being influenced by those forces which have poured [into the OCU], anti-Ukrainian and Moscow ones, and they have influence on our church leader, hence such negative decisions,” Filaret said after an OCU Holy Synod meeting in Kyiv on May 24.
He refused to name anyone, referring only to anti-Ukrainian forces.
He also reiterated his earlier disagreement with a tomos clause regarding UOC (OCU) subordination. “A thank you to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the tomos that he gave us, but I do not agree with everything that’s written in the tomos,” Filaret said, stressing that he only accepted its section granting autocephaly to Ukraine.
As for the Synod decisions, Filaret said he would only comply with those that are not against the canons and the interests of the Ukrainian church.
