Filaret

Date of birth: 23.01.1929

Filaret (birth name: Mikhail Antonovich Denisenko) is a Ukrainian Orthodox archbishop, Patriarch of Kyiv and all Russia-Ukraine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC KP) from 1995 to 2018. Since December 15, 2018, he has held the title of Honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Hero of Ukraine (2019).

Birthplace. Education. Born in the village of Blahodatne in the Amvrosiivskyi district of Donetsk region. In 1946, after graduating from high school, he entered the third grade of the Odesa Theological Seminary, which he graduated with honors. In 1952, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with a scientific degree of Candidate of Theology.

Clerical career. On January 1, 1950, he took monastic vows under the name Filaret.

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On January 15, 1950, he was ordained a hierodeacon by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and all Russia, and on June 18, 1951, - to the rank of hieromonk.

Since 1953 - lecturer at the Moscow Theological Academy.

In 1956, he was appointed inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary with elevation to the rank of igumen.

In 1957 he was transferred to the position of inspector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary, and on July 12, 1958, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary.

In 1960, he was appointed head of the affairs of the Ukrainian Exarchate and rector of the St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.

In 1961-1962, he was the head of the Russian Orthodox Church community under the Alexandrian Patriarchate in the city of Alexandria (United Arab Republic).

In February 1962, by the decision of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and the Holy Synod, he became Bishop of Lutsk, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, with the task of managing the Riga diocese.

From June to October 1962, he served as the Exarch of Central Europe. After the establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church diocese in Austria in October 1962, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria. On December 12, 1964, he was appointed Bishop of Dmitrov, vicar of the Moscow diocese, rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary. On May 14, 1966, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed Exarch of Ukraine, Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych, and a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

On February 25, 1968, Patriarch Alexy elevated him to the rank of metropolitan. In 1971, Patriarch Pimen noted the right to wear two panagias.

After the death of Patriarch Pimen on May 3, 1990, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church elected Metropolitan Filaret as the Local Ordinary of the Kyiv Patriarchal Throne by secret ballot. He was the chairman of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place on June 7-8, 1990.

Filaret initiated that Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autonomy and independence in governance. From October 25-27, 1990, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church granted the UOC autonomy and independence in governance, and Metropolitan Filaret was unanimously elected by the Ukrainian episcopate as the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine.

Struggle for autocephaly. After the Verkhovna Rada adopted a decision on August 24, 1991, to proclaim Ukraine an independent state on the initiative of Metropolitan Filaret, the All-Ukrainian Local Council of the UOC took place on November 1-3, 1991, which unanimously decided on full canonical independence, that is, autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However, the Russian Orthodox Church refused to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

By a decree of Patriarch Alexy II, a council was convened in Kharkiv, which elected another Metropolitan of Kyiv. He was Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan), who, prior to his election, was the head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. Filaret viewed these actions of the Russian Orthodox Church as non-canonical and illegal and refused to recognize Vladimir.

On June 25, 1992, an All-Ukrainian Local Council was held, which proclaimed the unification of part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church into a single Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. The Council recognized the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church as illegal and elected Metropolitan Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) as Patriarch of Kyiv and all Russia-Ukraine. Metropolitan Filaret was elected as the deputy of the Patriarch of Kyiv and all Russia-Ukraine.

In October 1995, at the All-Ukrainian Local Council, there was a proclamation of the unification of part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.