Metropolitan Epifaniy (Dumenko) becomes Primate of One Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine

On December 15, the Unification Council that took place in St Sofia of Kyiv elected the new Primate after the second round of voting. It is Metropolitan Epifaniy of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate. The newly elected Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will hold the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

Earlier, on December 13, the Bishops' Council of the UOC-KP elected him as the only candidate to the office of Primate of the new Church.

192 delegates of the Unification Council participated in the election of the head of the new Church.

As previously reported, the Tomos of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church will be handed over to the newly appointed Primate - Metropolitan Epifaniy on January 6 by Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul.

EPIFANIY (Dumenko), Archbishop of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Boryspil of the UOC-KP.

Born on February 3, 1979 in the village of Vovkovo, Ivanovo district, Odessa region. He grew up in the village of Stara Zhadova, Storozhinets district, Chernivtsi region. In 1996, he graduated from Starozhadov High School. In 1996, he entered the Kyiv Theological Seminary from which he graduated in 1999. In 1999, he entered the Kyiv Theological Academy from which he graduated in 2003.

Candidate of theological sciences, from July 1, 2003 to December 31, 2005, he served as the secretary of the Rivne diocesan administration.

From 2006 to 2007 he studied at the National University of Athens at the Faculty of Philosophy. Since 2007, he was a teacher of the Kyiv Theological Academy, head of the philology department. On December 21, 2007, he was tonsured a monk by Archbishop Dymytry of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and named Epifaniy. On January 6, 2008, he was ordained hierodeacon, and on January 20, 2008, he was ordained hieromonk. On January 25, 2008, he was appointed secretary of Patriarch Filaret. On March 16, 2008, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On March 20, 2008, he was appointed governor of St. Michael's Vydubychi monastery in Kyiv.

On May 30, 2008, he was appointed chancellor of the Kyivan Patriarchate. By the decision of the Synod of the UOC-KP of October 21, 2009, he was appointed Bishop of Vyshhorod, Vicar of the Kyiv diocese. By the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC-KP of July 27, 2010, he was appointed rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy and a ruling bishop of the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky diocese.

On January 23, 2012, by the decree of Patriarch Filaret, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.

By the decision of the Council of Bishops of the UOC-KP from June 28, 2013, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Bila Tserkva and was appointed patriarchal governor with the rights of the diocesan bishop. By the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC-KP of December 13, 2017, he was conferred the title of Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva.

Metropolitan Epifaniy of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva is a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the UOC of Kyiv Patriarchate.

On December 15, 2018, he was elected the Primate of the new Church.