OCU terminates Filaret's membership in Holy Synod

13:35, 05.02.2020 1 min read

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) terminated the powers of Honored Patriarch Filaret in the Holy Synod at a meeting of the Holy Synod on February 4, the press service for the OCU said.

"Bearing in mind that Honored Patriarch Filaret has lost his canonical rights and duties associated with running the diocese, has not written a letter to His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine or an address to the Holy Synod [...] it is established that Honored Patriarch Filaret is archbishop emeritus of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine starting June 24, 2019," the press service said.

"Bearing in mind that which has been stated above, and also his absence from six consecutive sessions of the Holy Synod, his ungrounded refusal to attend a session of the Holy Synod despite a written invitation, the powers of Honored Patriarch Filaret as a member of the Holy Synod are terminated," the OCU said.

The Synod also said Honored Patriarch Filaret is canonically prohibited from administering chirotones as archbishop emeritus.