Filaret Denysenko Composes 'Spiritual Testament,' Distances Himself From OCU

Filaret with his spiritual testament. Photo: Telegram channel “For the Ukrainian Church”

KYIV — The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Filaret Denysenko, has composed a “spiritual testament,” the text of which has appeared in the public domain. The schismatic UOC-KP is not to be confused with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The document, titled “Spiritual Testament of the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine Filaret,” sets out his vision for the future of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The publication coincides with the 30th anniversary of Filaret’s “patriarchate” within the UOC-KP.

Denysenko emphasized that he remains the head of the UOC-KP and has no relation to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) under Serhiy "Epiphany" Dumenko.

“I am not the Honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as its representatives and leadership claim,” the 96-year-old Denysenko stated.

He also forbade the OCU from performing his funeral rites. “I bequeath that the rite of the funeral service and burial be conducted in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv by the clergy and hierarchs of the UOC-KP, not by the OCU,” Densysenko wrote.

In addition, “being of sound mind,” he called upon all Orthodox Christians of Ukraine to hold a unifying council to create a Church independent of both Moscow and Constantinople, despite the UOC-KP supposedly being exactly that.

Denysenko was once part of the canonical Church, a Metropolitan who was head of the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Accusations in the early 1990s alleged that he had violated his vow of celibacy by fathering many children and living with a woman for a number of years. 

He later lost the election for Patriarch of Moscow to Alexy II, with his contention setting the stage for his eventual suspension and defrocking by the Moscow Patriarchate. Fast forward to the creation of the schismatic OCU, and the UOC-KP was one of the groups outside of the canonical Church which was "brought back" by Pat. Bartholomew of Constantinople at the "Unification Council."

Dumenko was elected to head the new OCU, and Denysenko was given the title of "Honorary Patriarch." A disgruntled Denysenko would later revive the UOC-KP, cancelling out much of the supposed intention of the council.

More on the situation can be read in a piece by Matthew Namee of Orthodox History here.

Previously, UOJ reported that Dumenko had stated his belief that everyone in the canonical UOC would "see the light" and join the OCU.

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