Filaret: History knows no honorary patriarchs
The head of the UOC-KP sees no reason to deprive him of his "patriarchal" status, which guarantees independence from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
History does not know the honorary patriarchs, and what this status means – I cannot understand personally, the head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko said on the air of the Ukraine 24 channel.
Filaret explained that there is no reason to deprive him of the "patriarch" title, while the "honorary" status was assigned to him in order to subordinate the OCU to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. “That is why they vested me with honor, but they cannot deprive me of the patriarchy,” said the head of the UOC-KP. "They tell me to sit still and not to interfere into their affairs, but I don't want to sit still."
Denisenko said that the Tomos issued by the head of Phanar does not give the status of patriarchy to the OCU precisely with the aim of having the organization of Sergei (Epifaniy) Dumenko under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. “Because the patriarchy cannot be subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, while the metropolitanate can be,” said the head of the UOC-KP. “And we see that today the OCU is dependent on the Patriarchate of Constantinople.”
As reported by the UOJ, Filaret said that the primacy of honor is not sufficient for the head of Phanar, as he needs power.
