Filaret was one of the strongest defenders of the Ukrainian church
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the death of Patriarch Filaret is a significant loss for Ukrainians.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Zelensky’s statement on Telegram.
Read also: Patriarch Filaret has died: his journey from seminarian to Hero of Ukraine
“I spoke with Metropolitan Epiphanius. My condolences to him and all Orthodox Christians – the earthly journey of Patriarch Filaret has come to an end. A great loss for Ukrainians. He was a strong personality and one of the staunchest defenders of the Ukrainian church, independence, and statehood,” the president noted.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukrainians will always respect Filaret’s contribution to the development of the local church.
“Without the energy, character, and courage of Patriarch Filaret, many of Ukraine’s achievements simply would not have been possible. We also remember how Patriarch Filaret taught us to unite around the idea of a strong, independent Ukraine,” he stressed.
It is worth recalling that Patriarch Filaret played a key role in liberating Ukrainians from the spiritual occupation of the Russian Federation. Without his years of struggle, Ukraine might not have received the Tomos, and the religious space would have remained under Russian control.
Furthermore, Patriarch Filaret prohibited the rite of burial from being performed by the hierarchs of the canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine after his death. In his spiritual will, he noted that the Ukrainian church has no other path but that of independent (autocephalous) unification.
To learn about Filaret’s journey from seminarian to Hero of Ukraine, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.
