Patriarch Filaret speaks about one church in Ukraine during visit to Poltava

On May 20-22, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, visited the Poltava Oblast.

On May 20-22, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, visited the Poltava Oblast.

On May 20, the hierarch dedicated a newly built belfry of the Cathedral of the Holy Protection. The patriarch also laid flowers on the city’s only monument to the victims of the Genocidal Holodomor (a memorial cross installed by the parishioners and donors near the church).

Patriarch Filaret also visited Mykola Yaroshenko Museum.

After that, the hierarch held a press conference for local media and met with representatives of public organizations and political parties at the conference hall of the Art Gallery.

“When I visit the churches, eparchies, my goal is to establish the faith that we will achieve the unity and create one church in Ukraine. Many people now already believe in that, despite the obstacles,” he said.  

“They thought that under the new president, the Kyivan Patriarchate would disappear and began to work to destroy it. But what result did they achieve? No result. The Kyivan Patriarchate grows stronger. And the attempts to seize the churches of the Kyivan Patriarchate were not successful, because public organizations of democratic and patriotic character defended us. And curiously enough, those disconnected parties began to unite around the protection of the Kyivan Patriarchate. And an external force cannot overcome the force represented by us,” said the patriarch.

The Kyivan Patriarchate is needed for the existence of the independent self-governed church in Ukraine. And, according to Patriarch Filaret, the Moscow Patriarchate can now feel it: “Without us, they would be have been deprived of their independence long ago,” the press service of the UOC-KP reported.