Filaret Denysenko Passes at 97
His death closes a defining chapter in the long and contentious history of the Ukrainian church schism.
KYIV — As reported by the UOJ-Ukraine, Filaret Denysenko died on March 20, 2026, according to an announcement by Epifaniy Dumenko. Ukrainian media reported that Denysenko had been hospitalized in his final days as his health deteriorated, though further details surrounding his death were not immediately disclosed.
In his statement, Dumenko said the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) would “remember and also carry out his lessons and instructions on the importance of conciliarity, humility before the will of God and the will of the fullness of the Church, and devoted service to God, the Church of Christ, and the Ukrainian people.”
Born in 1929 in Donetsk Region, Denysenko rose rapidly within the Russian Orthodox Church, becoming Metr. of Kyiv in 1966. Following Ukraine’s independence, he spearheaded a controversial break from Moscow, leading to his defrocking and later anathematization. He subsequently founded the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), proclaiming himself as patriarch of the schismatic church, and remained a central and divisive figure in Ukrainian Orthodoxy for decades.
When the Tomos of Autocephaly was given to the OCU by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Denysenko was given the title of "Honorary Patriarch" and Dumenko was chosen as head of the structure. This offended Denysenko, who soon revived the UOC-KP and distanced himself from the OCU.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Filaret Denysenko composed a spiritual testament and separated himself from the OCU.
