On Friday, March 20, Patriarch Filaret, who headed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, passed away at the 98th year of his life. His death was announced by Metropolitan Epiphanius, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
Today is a deep sadness and regret in my heart, as well as in the hearts of many Ukrainians, because now the earthly path of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret has ended. The heart of Patriarch Filaret stopped at the 98th year of his life. The Kingdom of Heaven, eternal memory and eternal rest to the deceased Patriarch Filaret! – wrote Metropolitan Epiphanius.
Metropolitan Epiphanius called on the entire Ukrainian flock to pray for the repose of the soul of Patriarch Filaret, who departed to the Lord. He expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased bishop.
He noted that the instructions of Patriarch Filaret regarding the unity of the Ukrainian Church around the Kyiv Throne will always remain in the memory of believers. The Metropolitan also noted the importance of Filaret’s lessons on conciliarity, humility before God’s will and devotional service to God, the Church of Christ and the Ukrainian people.
The Metropolitan said that the heart of Patriarch Filaret stopped at the 98th year of his life, but prayer and memory about him will remain in the local autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church forever.
Biographical information
Honorary Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine Filaret (Mikhail Antonovich Denisenko), bishop at rest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was born on January 23, 1929 in the village of Blagodatnoye, Amvrosievsky District, Donetsk Region, in the Ukrainian family of Anton and Melania Denisenko. His father died on the front of World War II in 1943.
In 1946-1948 he studied at the Odessa Theological Seminary, graduating with honors, after which he continued his education at the Moscow Theological Academy. On January 1, 1950, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he became a monk with the name Filaret in honor of St. Filaret the Merciful. On January 15 of the same year he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on June 18, 1951 – a hieromonk.
In 1952 he completed his studies at the Moscow State University with the degree of candidate of theology and was appointed teacher of Holy Scripture at the Moscow Theological Seminary, while performing the duties of the dean of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Since 1953 he began teaching at the Moscow Theological Academy.
In the 1953-1954 academic year he received the title of assistant professor, and in 1956 he became an inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary and was elevated to the rank of abbot. In 1957 he was transferred to the post of inspector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary, and on July 12, 1958 he became archimandrite and rector of the Kyiv Seminary.
In 1960 he was appointed manager of the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and rector of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. From June 1961 to January 1962 he headed the compound of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt.
On February 4, 1962, in Leningrad, he was consecrated bishop of Luga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Later he acted as head of the Riga diocese, and from October 1962 to December 1964 – Bishop of Vienna and Austria. From December 1964 to May 1966 – Bishop of Dmitrov and rector of the Moscow State Academy of Sciences.
May 14, 1966 received the rank of archbishop, became a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Exarch of Ukraine and Archbishop of Kyiv and Galicia. In 1968 he was elevated to the metropolitan. From May to June 1990, he served as locum tenens of the Moscow Patriarchal Throne and presided over the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990.
After the reorganization of the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church into an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church in July 1990, he was elected Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine and Primate of the UOC (as part of the Russian Orthodox Church).
In November 1991, he headed the Council of the UOC, which unanimously supported the idea of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church. Because of this, he came under pressure from the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church. In May 1992, he was actually removed from the leadership of the UOC, and the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church proclaimed him “defrocked,” which he never recognized and disputed before the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, most recently in 2018.
On June 25, 1992, he supported the unification of the UAOC and the UOC as part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and became deputy patriarch with the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv. After being elected Primate of the UOC-KP on October 22, 1995, his enthronement as “His Holiness Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine” took place in the Vladimir Cathedral.
On October 11, 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992 regarding the “deprivation of dignity” of Filaret as incorrect and restored him in communication as the former Metropolitan of Kyiv. On December 15, 2018, he became part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as the Honorary Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine and the head of a separate diocese in Kyiv. Since June 2019, he was at rest as a bishop of the OCU.
For many years of church, public and peacekeeping activities he was awarded numerous church and state insignia, in particular in January 2019 he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
- On March 9, the Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU reported that the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Filaret was hospitalized in one of the Kyiv hospitals. His state of health has deteriorated, he is provided with the necessary assistance.
- In October 2025, the partiarch Filaret signed his spiritual testament. In the event of his death, he decided that the rank of funeral and burial should be performed in the Vladimir Cathedral Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv by the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and not the OCU.
Фото – facebook.com/epifaniy
