Filaret Denysenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hero of UkraineHis Holiness and Beatitude Filaret |
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| Archbishop and Metropolitan of Kyiv – Mother of the Rus Cities and of Galicia, Patriarch of All Rus-Ukraine, Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras | |||||||||||||||||||
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Filaret in 2018
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| Church | Kyiv Patriarchate | ||||||||||||||||||
| See | Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine | ||||||||||||||||||
| Enthroned | July 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reign ended | 15 December 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Ioasaph II (ROC) Volodymyr (UOC-KP) |
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| Successor | Volodymyr II (UOC-MP) Epiphany I (OCU) himself as "Honorary Patriarch" |
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| Signature | _Signature_2014.png) |
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Patriarch Filaret (born Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko; 23 January 1929 – 20 March 2026) was an important Ukrainian religious leader. He served as the head, or primate, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC–KP). After his passing, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which he left in 2019, considered him an Honorary Patriarch. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized him as a former Metropolitan of Kyiv.
Before leading the Kyiv Patriarchate, he was the Metropolitan of Kyiv and the Exarch of Ukraine within the Moscow Patriarchate from 1966 to 1992. After he joined the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church removed him from his church duties and formally condemned him in 1997. However, on 11 October 2018, the Patriarchate of Constantinople welcomed him back into church fellowship. While he was restored as a bishop, the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not recognize him as a Patriarch.
On 15 December 2018, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate joined with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and some members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This meant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate officially stopped existing. However, in June 2019, disagreements arose between Filaret and the new head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphanius I. This led Filaret to declare that the UOC–KP would continue, with him as its leader. This continued UOC–KP is not currently recognized by other major Eastern Orthodox churches or by the Government of Ukraine.
Life of Patriarch Filaret
Early Life and Education
Mykhailo Denysenko was born on 23 January 1929. His family lived in the village of Blahodatne in Eastern Ukraine. His parents were Anton and Melania Denysenko.
He studied to become a priest at the Odesa Seminary and the Moscow Theological Academy. There, he became a close helper of Patriarch Alexius I of Moscow. In 1950, he took special promises to live a religious life and chose the name Filaret. He became a deacon in January 1950 and a priest in June 1951. After finishing his studies, he taught at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1956, he became an inspector at the Theological Seminary in Saratov and was promoted to the rank of hegumen, a type of abbot. In 1957, he became an inspector at the Kyiv Theological Seminary. In July 1958, he was further promoted to Archimandrite and became the rector, or head, of the seminary.
A Leader in the Russian Orthodox Church
In 1961, Filaret worked for the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in a special mission to the Greek Orthodox Church in Alexandria. In January 1962, he was chosen as a vicar bishop for the Leningrad area. In February, he was officially made a bishop in Leningrad by Metropolitan Pimen and other bishops.
Filaret took part in several important church discussions for the Russian Orthodox Church. From 1962 to 1964, he served as the ROC Bishop for Vienna and Austria. In 1964, he returned to Moscow as the Bishop of Dmitrov and the head of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.
In 1966, he became the archbishop of Kyiv and Halych. This made him one of the most important leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church. The position of Kyiv Metropolitan was highly respected. He also became a permanent member of the Holy Synod, which is the highest group of leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church. This group is responsible for choosing the Moscow Patriarch. In 1968, Filaret became the Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia. He held strong views on other Christian groups in Ukraine.
Moving Towards Ukrainian Church Independence
On May 3, 1990, Patriarch Pimen of Moscow passed away. On that same day, Filaret became the temporary leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Filaret was not chosen to be the next Patriarch of Moscow. He later said that this was not by chance, and that God was preparing him for Ukraine.
On 27 October 1990, a special ceremony took place at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The new Patriarch Alexei II gave Metropolitan Filaret a special document called a tomos. This document gave "independence in self-government" to the church in Ukraine. Filaret, who was already the "Metropolitan of Kyiv," was then named "Metropolitan of Kyiv and All-Ukraine."
In 1992, some people accused Filaret of having connections with the Soviet secret police (KGB) during the Soviet era. Filaret later said that many church leaders had to have contact with the KGB during that time. He also mentioned that he and other leaders were trained by the government.
Forming the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
After Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991, a national meeting of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was held. This meeting, called a sobor, took place from November 1–3. All the bishops, clergy, and other church members voted. They all agreed that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should become an independent church, meaning it would govern itself. They also all wanted Metropolitan Filaret to be its head.
In January 1992, Filaret organized another meeting at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. At this meeting, they formally asked the Moscow Patriarch for the Ukrainian church to be fully independent.
In March and April 1992, the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church met. They discussed the request from the Ukrainian church. Filaret was asked to step down from his position. He agreed to resign for the sake of church peace. However, when he returned to Kyiv, Filaret changed his mind. He said that he had been pressured during the meeting in Moscow. He explained that his resignation would not bring peace to the church and would go against what the believers wanted.
Challenges and New Beginnings
Soon after, the Russian Orthodox Church did not want a separate church in independent Ukraine. They helped organize a different meeting in Kharkiv in May 1992. At this meeting, bishops loyal to Moscow chose Bishop Volodymyr (Sabodan) as the Metropolitan of Kyiv. This group became known as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
Filaret was temporarily removed from his duties by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) on 27 May 1992. However, bishops who supported Filaret joined with another Ukrainian church group. They held a meeting on 25 June 1992. They decided to form a new church called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP). They elected Patriarch Mstyslav as its head.
On 11 July 1992, the Russian Orthodox Church permanently removed Filaret from his priestly duties. The UOC-KP was not officially recognized by other major Orthodox churches at that time. In 1997, the Russian Orthodox Church formally condemned Filaret. Other Orthodox churches, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, agreed with these decisions at the time.
Leading the Kyiv Patriarchate
After Patriarch Mstyslav passed away in 1993, Patriarch Volodymyr led the church. In July 1995, after Volodymyr's death, Filaret was elected as the head of the UOC-KP. He received 160 votes to 5.
Filaret helped many new bishops become ordained, at least 85 of them.
On 11 October 2018, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople announced an important decision. They said that Filaret Denisenko and the head of another Ukrainian church were "restored to communion with the Church." This meant they were welcomed back into the wider Orthodox Christian community. The Ecumenical Patriarchate also decided that the Moscow Patriarchate no longer had authority over the Kyiv region. This placed the bishops there under the Ecumenical Patriarchate's authority.
On 20 October 2018, the UOC-KP changed the official title of its head. The full title became "His Holiness and Beatitude (name), Archbishop and Metropolitan of Kyiv – Mother of the Rus Cities and of Galicia, Patriarch of All Rus-Ukraine, Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras." The shorter version was "His Holiness (name), Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine." The Russian Orthodox Church strongly disagreed with this new title. They said that for them, Filaret remained someone who had separated from the church.
Role in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
On 15 December 2018, the leaders of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the UOC-KP decided to officially end their churches. This was because, on the same day, these churches, along with some members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), merged. They formed a new church called the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) after a special unification meeting.
Filaret was given the special title of "honorary patriarch" of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This title was a unique arrangement made during the church's unification. It helped ensure peace and unity during this important time.
On 18 December 2018, the Ukrainian parliament voted to make Filaret's 90th birthday, on 23 January 2019, a day of national celebration for that year.
On 16 January 2019, Filaret asked to be remembered in prayers before Epiphanius, the head of the OCU, during church services. He signed this request as "Filaret, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine." In an interview on 20 January 2019, Filaret explained his role in the OCU. He said, "I am a patriarch, I have been and I remain a patriarch. Today, the Head of the Local Church is Metropolitan Epifaniy, but I do not refuse to participate in the development of the Ukrainian Church. I am an unrecognized patriarch for world Orthodoxy, but for Ukraine I am a patriarch and I remain a patriarch."
On 5 February 2019, the Holy Synod of the OCU appointed Filaret as the local bishop for Kyiv, except for the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Epiphanius, the head of the OCU, explained that Filaret had played a crucial role in building the Kyiv Patriarchate. He said that Filaret remained an honorary Patriarch and a local bishop for Kyiv. He would continue to work for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but would not manage the entire church.
Disagreements in the OCU
Disagreements arose between Filaret and Epiphanius. These were about how the OCU should be governed, how it should manage its communities outside Ukraine, and its official name and rules.
Filaret believed there was an agreement from the unification meeting. He thought the head of the OCU should handle external matters. He believed the patriarch should manage internal church life in Ukraine, working with the head. Filaret felt this agreement was not being followed.
In November 2025, the OCU's press service reported that Filaret and Epiphanius had met. Filaret received a letter of gratitude. Both leaders prayed together for Ukraine's victory over Russia.
Passing Away
On 20 March 2026, Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv announced that Filaret had passed away at the age of 97.
Awards and Recognition
- Order "For intellectual courage" from the independent cultural magazine I (2018)
State awards
Ukraine
Member of the Order of Liberty (2009)- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st (2008), 2nd (2006), 3rd (2003), 4th (2001) and 5th (1999) Cl.
- Cross of Ivan Mazepa (2011)
- Hero of Ukraine (2019)
USSR
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1980)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1988)
See Also
- History of Christianity in Ukraine
- List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Kyiv
- Conflict between Filaret and Epiphanius
