Bankovaya sniffs at Filaret leading the SLC, – Mass Media

Petro Poroshenko and leader of the UOC KP Filaret

The Presidential Administration is exerting pressure on the head of the UOC-KP Filaret in order to prevent him from becoming Patriarch in the event that Tomos on autocephaly is granted to Ukraine,
reports ”Vesti” with reference to confidential sources.

"Filaret is the main stumbling block on the path to autocephaly bestowed from Fanar, since he was anathematized back in the 90's. And only the Church that imposed it (that is, the Russian Orthodox Church – Ed.) can remove it," an insider from the Orthodox circles, close to the promotion of autocephaly for Ukraine, told Vesti. “In the end, there were arguments that convinced Filaret to forget about his dreams of becoming the head of the Local Church. It must be headed by another hierarch."

According to Vesti sources, Bankova sees Metropolitan Simeon (Shostatsky) of Vinnytsia and Bar in the role of the future head of the Local Church, who now serves in the UOC. He was among the few signatories of the UOC petition to Bartholomew regarding autocephaly, along with Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Metropolitan Sofroniy of Cherkassy and Kanev. "However, at the moment, Simeon has not yet made a decision," Vesti writes.

Earlier UAOC leader Metropolitan Makariy(Maletich) refused to stand as a candidate for the post of the SLC Primate.

The schismatics have repeatedly announced they see Fialret as a head of the Local Church-to-be, who was anathematized by the canonical Church. Filaret himself reported he was going to claim the leadership position at the SLC, “since one should accomplish a challenging Church unification cause.”

In mid-April, Poroshenko turned to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with a request to grant Tomos on autocephaly to the Church in Ukraine and announced the creation of a Single Local Church. The Verkhovna Rada supported the petition of the President.

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