Hierarch of Georgian Church expresses condolences to head of OCU over death of Filaret Denisenko

The hierarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Zenon (Yaradzhuli), sent an official letter to the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, expressing his deep condolences on the death of Filaret Denisenko. The bishop thanked the Ukrainian side for the support provided to Georgia after the recent death of Catholicos-Patriarch Elijah II, emphasizing the epoch-making role of both leaders in the history of their churches. This was reported by Radio Tavisupleba.

«It is with sadness that we received the news of the death of His Holiness, His Holiness Filaret, Patriarch Emeritus of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Please accept my sincere condolences. At the same time, we thank Your Beatitude for your condolences on the passing of His Holiness and Beatitude Patriarch Elijah, which has become a great comfort to us these days,» Archbishop Zenon wrote in his letter to Epiphany Dumenko.

Archbishop Zenon, who has held a prominent position in the GOC hierarchy since 2003 and previously headed the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, also issued a political warning. Amid preparations for the election of a new patriarch of Georgia, he called on the country’s authorities to refrain from any interference in church elections. The hierarch, known for his critical stance toward the ruling party and support of protests for freedom and justice, emphasized that the future head of the church should be elected solely by the decision of the clergy.

Earlier, we reported that the heads of the UOC-KP and the OCU Filaret Denisenko and Epiphany Dumenko expressed condolences to the Georgian people, clergy and faithful of the Georgian Orthodox Church in connection with the death of Georgian Patriarch Elijah II. The heads of the Ukrainian schismatic groups took this step despite the fact that neither the UOC-KP nor the OCU were in Eucharistic or prayerful communion.