Patriarch Emeritus Filaret believes that President Poroshenko and Metropolitan Epifaniy did not fulfill their promises made on the eve of the Unification Council on December 15 in Kyiv.
Patriarch Emeritus Filaret believes that President Poroshenko and Metropolitan Epifaniy did not fulfill their promises made on the eve of the Unification Council on December 15 in Kyiv.
He said this during today's press conference.
“The president promised one thing, but he did something different, as I wrote in my appeal. The problem arises in the fact that they did not comply with the agreements of December 15,” he said.
Earlier, the former Primate of the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate wrote in a statement that Poroshenko “departed from the promised agreements and actually agreed to the liquidation of the Kyiv Patriarchate.”
The Honorary Patriarch also accused Metropolitan Epifaniy of not standing by his own word. However, as His Eminence Filaret noticed, these agreements between the head of state and the future primate have never been recorded.
“It was an agreement not only with Poroshenko, but also with Epifaniy and the bishops, that I would rule the Church inside Ukraine, while he would rule outside,” Filaret emphasized.
Now, as the ex-head of the UOC-KP complains, Metropolitan Epifaniy simply ignores him.
"He avoids communication with me. I gave him advice what to do at the very beginning, but he did quite the opposite. He says publicly that he respects the Patriarch. But these are just words, because the actions are opposite,” he said.
Patriarch Emeritus Filaret therefore considers it was his mistake to nominate Metropolitan Epifaniy to the post of Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“Had I known what would have happened, I would not put forward his candidacy. I expected him to take a straight way, and not a curvy track,” said the hierarch.