UOC-KP hierarch speaks about the split in the Kyiv Patriarchate that occurred after Filaret's death

After the death and burial of the head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko, an internal conflict erupted over the procedure for electing a successor. In a statement, the secretary of the UOC-KP Synod, Andriy Marutsak, accused some hierarchs of gross violations of the church charter and an attempt to seize power behind the scenes.

According to Zakordonna, the main reason for the disagreement was the hasty election of a new patriarch instead of appointing a temporary locum tenens. According to the statute of the UOC-KP, after the death of the primate, a synod must be convened to elect a locum tenens, who is obliged to prepare and hold a local council within six months. It is at the Local Council, with the participation of all members of the organization, that a new head of the UOC-KP should be elected. However, according to Marutsak, a group of seven hierarchs of the UOC-KP ignored these rules and held a closed vote.

“The patriarch cannot be elected behind the scenes by several bishops,” Marutsak emphasized, noting that five of the twelve current hierarchs of the UOC-KP refused to participate in this procedure. He also expressed doubt that the state authorities that register religious organizations would recognize the legitimacy of such an appointment. The situation was further complicated during Filaret’s funeral: some of the Kyiv Patriarchate officials refused to attend the funeral at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral because of the presence of Epiphany Dumenko and representatives of the OCU who participated in the burial.

Currently, Marutsak insists on the need to comply with the letter of the law and hold legitimate elections. In his opinion, only diplomacy and restraint will help save the structure from complete collapse. Further steps of the opposition part of the bishops will be determined during internal consultations to avoid misleading the public.

Earlier it was reported that representatives of the UOC-KP were unable to take part in the official burial ceremony of their spiritual leader Filaret Denisenko, citing pressure and threats from supporters of the OCU. Due to the inability to attend the main burial rite, the newly elected head of the organization, Nikodim, held an alternative funeral service and announced a forty-day period of intense prayers in all communities of the structure.