The biography of Filaret and his journey towards establishing an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Filaret (Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko), Honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, made significant efforts towards the establishment of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He waged a long struggle for the rights of Ukrainian believers.

Early Life

Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko was born in 1929 in the village of Blahodatne, Amvrosiivka District, Stalino Region (now Donetsk Oblast), into a miner’s family. His secular name was Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko.

In 1946, having completed secondary school, he entered directly into the third year of the Odessa Theological Seminary, which he graduated from with distinction. In 1952, he received a Candidate of Theology degree, having successfully completed his studies at the Moscow Theological Academy.

Clerical ministry

On 1 January 1950, he took monastic vows under the name Filaret. On 15 January 1950, he was ordained a hierodeacon by Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia, and on 18 June 1951, he was ordained a hieromonk.

In 1953, he began teaching at the Moscow Theological Academy. Three years later, he became inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary and was elevated to the rank of igumen.

In 1957, he was transferred to the post of inspector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary. In 1958, he was ordained an archimandrite and became rector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary.

In 1960, he was appointed administrator of the Ukrainian Exarchate and rector of St Vladimir’s Cathedral in Kyiv.

In 1961–1962, he served as acting rector of the Russian Orthodox Church’s mission under the Patriarchate of Alexandria in the city of Alexandria (now in Egypt).

In February 1962, by decision of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and the Holy Synod, he was consecrated Bishop of Luzhsk, Vicar of the Leningrad Diocese, with the additional responsibility of administering the Riga Diocese. He subsequently took up the post of Exarch of Central Europe.

In October 1962, he became Bishop of Vienna and Austria. In December 1964, he was appointed Bishop of Dmitrov, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, as well as Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.

On 14 May 1966, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed Exarch of Ukraine, becoming Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych and a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

On 25 February 1968, Patriarch Alexy elevated him to the rank of metropolitan. And in 1971, Patriarch Pimen granted him the right to wear two panagias.

Following the death of Patriarch Pimen in May 1990, Filaret was temporarily called upon to head the Moscow Patriarchate and became chairman of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in June of that year.

The Struggle for Autocephaly

Following the Verkhovna Rada’s adoption on 24 August 1991 of the resolution on Ukraine’s independence, at the initiative of Metropolitan Filaret, the All-Ukrainian Local Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) was held on 1–3 November of that year. The participants voted unanimously for full canonical independence, that is, autocephaly for the UOC. However, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) refused to grant it.

Following a decision by Alexy II, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, a Council was convened in Kharkiv, which elected a new Metropolitan of Kyiv. The position was taken by Vladimir (Sabodan), who had previously served as Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Filaret described these actions by the Russian Orthodox Church as unlawful and uncanonical and did not recognise Vladimir’s election.

On 25 June 1992, another All-Ukrainian Local Council was held, at which the merger of part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church into a single Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate was proclaimed. The Council recognised the decision of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church as unlawful and appointed Metropolitan Mstislav (Skrypnyk) as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine. Metropolitan Filaret was elected Deputy Patriarch.

In October 1995, at the All-Ukrainian Local Council, Filaret was elected Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine.

For many years, Filaret worked actively to establish a single Local Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Thanks to his initiatives, all liturgical books were translated into Ukrainian.

On 15 December 2018, at the Unification Council of Orthodox Churches in Kyiv, Filaret did not put himself forward as a candidate for the position of Primate of the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine, to which the Ecumenical Patriarchate planned to grant the Tomos of Autocephaly.

After the election of Metropolitan Epiphanius as head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, he addressed the faithful gathered in St Sophia Square and named Filaret as the spiritual mentor of the newly established church. Epiphanius solemnly declared that Filaret would remain an honorary lifelong mentor, who would contribute to the strengthening of the autocephalous Ukrainian church.

Honours

Filaret was an honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy and the Leningrad Theological Academy, and was awarded honorary doctorates by the Reformed Theological Academy in Budapest and the Faculty of Theology in Prešov. He was awarded the highest honours of the Russian Orthodox Church and a number of other Local Orthodox Churches. Among his state awards were the Order of Friendship of Peoples, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, the Order of Freedom, the Cross of Ivan Mazepa, and the title of Full Knight of the Order of Yaroslav the Wise.

Death

On 20 March 2026, at the age of 98, Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate passed away.