Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine ( uk, link= yes, Епіфаній, Митрополит Київський і всієї України, translit=Epifanii, Mytropolyt Kyivskyi i vsiiei Ukrainy,
secular name
A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...
: Serhii Petrovych Dumenko, uk, link= no, Сергій Петрович Думенко; born on 3 February 1979) is the
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
(OCU), holding the title of
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
The Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine is the archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, canonized at the Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine, Unifying council of 2018 in Kyiv.
History
Epiphanius I of Ukraine, ...
.
Metropolitan Epiphanius served as the
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the ...
of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva, in the former original
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) from 2013 to 2018.
He was a professor of the Department of Biblical and Philological Disciplines of the . He was a member of the and of the
International Federation of Journalists.
Early life and education
Serhii Petrovych Dumenko was born on 3 February 1979 in
Vovkove,
Berezivka Raion
Berezivka Raion ( uk, Березівський район) is a raion (district) in Odesa Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Berezivka. Population:
On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the n ...
, in Ukraine. His childhood and school years were in the village of
Stara Zhadova
Stara Zhadova ( uk, Стара Жадова; ro, Jadova or ''Jadova Veche''; yi, זשאַדעווע, Zhadeve) is a village in Chernivtsi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine. It belongs to Storozhynets urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukrain ...
in
Storozhynets Raion of
Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast ( uk, Черніве́цька о́бласть, Chernivetska oblast), also referred to as Chernivechchyna ( uk, Чернівеччина) is an oblast (province) in Western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the regio ...
. In 1996 in Stara Zhadova he graduated from high school of I-III grades.
In 1996 he entered the
Kyiv Theological Seminary
The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kyiv, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...
, where he graduated in 1999 with a first class degree. In the same year he entered the
Kyiv Theological Academy
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ( NaUKMA) ( uk, Національний університет «Києво-Могилянська академія» (НаУКМА)) is a national, research university located in Kyiv, Ukraine. ...
. He graduated as a
doctor of theology in 2003 having successfully defended his PhD thesis on the "Formation of church-canonical collections in the Donician period and their characteristics".
In 2006–2007 he held an internship at the
Athens National University in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
in the Faculty of Philosophy.
On 30 August 2012, following his successful defense of his doctoral
dissertation on the topic of the "Doctrine of the Orthodox Church on salvation in the context of the continuity of the Holy Fatherland", he was awarded a degree of
Doctor of Theology.
Ministry
From 1 July 2003 to 31 December 2005 he served as the secretary-referent of the
Rivne
Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...
diocesan administration and the personal secretary of the
Metropolitan of Rivne and
Ostroh
Ostroh ( uk, Остро́г; pl, Ostróg) is a historic city located in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, on the Horyn River. Ostroh is the administrative center of the Ostroh Raion (district). Administratively, Ostroh is incorporated ...
. From 26 August 2003 to 31 December 2005 he was a teacher of the Rivne Seminary, and also held the post of senior assistant inspector.
In 2003-2005, he led the "Rivne Pravoslavne" ()
Internet portal, and was also a member of the editorial board of the religious newspaper ''Dukhovna Nyva'' ('')''. In December 2005 he was admitted to the .
Since the academic year 2007, he has been a teacher at the , and was appointed head of the
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
department.
On 21 December 2007, with the blessing of Patriarch Filaret,
Archbishop Dimitriy of
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky made Epiphanius a monk in the
Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. He took the
monastic name
A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts.
Christianity
Catholic Church Baptismal name
In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...
Epiphanius in honor of
Epiphanius of Cyprus. On 20 January 2008 he was ordained
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...
by
Filaret. Later that month (25 January), he was appointed secretary of the
Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine,
Filaret.
In March 2008 he was ordained an
archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") wh ...
in
St. Volodymyr's Cathedral. Later that month (20 March), he was appointed governor of
Vydubychi Monastery
Vydubychi Monastery ( ua, Видубицький монастир ''Vydubyts'kyi monastyr'') is an historic monastery in the Ukraine, Ukrainian capital Kyiv. During the Soviet period it housed the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, NANU Inst ...
in Kyiv.
On 30 May 2008, he was appointed manager of the affairs of the Kyivan Patriarchate. On 7 October 2008 he was awarded the title of Associate Professor of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
On 21 October 2009, at the Holy Synod of the UOC-KP he was elected Bishop of
Vyshhorod
Vyshhorod ( uk, Ви́шгород) is a city in Kyiv Oblast (region) in central Ukraine, situated immediately north of Kyiv city, the national capital, and part of the Kyiv metropolitan area. It is on the right (western) bank of the Dnieper r ...
, vicar of the
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
diocese. On 15 November 2009, he was ordained a bishop.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC-KP from 27 July 2010, he was appointed rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy and the governor of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky diocese. On 17 November 2011 he was awarded the title of professor of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
On 23 January 2012, he was promoted to the rank of Archbishop.
By the decision of the Bishops' Council of the UOC-KP on 28 June 2013, he was raised to the rank of Metropolitan of
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Bila Tserkva and was appointed patriarchal governor with the rights of the diocesan bishop.
On 13 December 2017 he was named
Metropolitan of
Pereiaslav and
Bila Tserkva.
In April 2019, he spoke in support of the
law on the Ukrainian language.
On August 21, 2020, on St. Michael's Square in Kyiv, Metropolitan Epiphanius consecrated the renovated Wall of Remembrance of Heroes. He also consecrated the church on August 20 in honor of St. Nectarios of Aegina in the village of Khutir Yasny in
Kyiv region
Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but ...
. On August 29, on the Day of Remembrance of Defenders of Ukraine, he honored the fallen Ukrainian servicemen.
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
On 15 December 2018, at the
unification council held in the
Cathedral of St. Sophia, he was elected
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
The Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine is the archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, canonized at the Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine, Unifying council of 2018 in Kyiv.
History
Epiphanius I of Ukraine, ...
, the first primate of the
autocephalous
Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern O ...
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
.
The official name of the primate the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is "His Beatitude (name), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine".
Commemoration of the Patriarch of Moscow
On Sunday 16 December 2018, during Metropolitan Epiphanius' first
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of ...
as Metropolitan of the OCU following his election, he called for prayers for peace and unity in Ukraine. In the same liturgy, Metropolitan Epiphany also omitted
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow from the
list of brother primates with whom he is in communion who are usually commemorated at the
Great Entrance
In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches, an entrance is a procession during which the clergy enter into the sanctuary through the Holy Doors. The origin of these entrances goes back to the early church, when the liturgical books and s ...
.
Metropolitan Epiphanius later explained in an interview with Ukrainian "Direct" TV channel: "At the moment I do not commemorate him
he Patriarch of Moscowbecause we are in a state of war, so the Ukrainian people would not accept if the newly-elected primate commemorated the name of the Russian Patriarch."
During the Divine Liturgy on 7 January 2019, after the OCU received its official autocephaly on 5 January 2019, Metropolitan Epiphanius commemorated the name of Patriarch Kirill during the
Great entrance
In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches, an entrance is a procession during which the clergy enter into the sanctuary through the Holy Doors. The origin of these entrances goes back to the early church, when the liturgical books and s ...
. Epiphanius later told he had done this after the
Ecumenical Patriarch had instructed him to do so, and that
Filaret had instructed him (Epiphanius) not to mention Kirill.
Reception of the tomos of autocephaly
On 5 January 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Epiphanius held a liturgy in
St. George's Cathedral in Istanbul; the tomos of autocephaly of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine.
The church was united at the unifi ...
was signed thereafter, still in St. George's Cathedral. The ''tomos'' "has come into force from the moment of its signing".
The signing of the tomos officially established the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
After the tomos was signed, Metropolitan Epiphanius made a speech, in which he declared about
Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...
: "Your name, Mr President, will forever go down in the history of the Ukrainian people next to the names of the rulers, of our
prince Volodymyr the Great,
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was al ...
,
Kostyantyn Ostrozky and Hetman
Ivan Mazepa
Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (also spelled Mazeppa; uk, Іван Степанович Мазепа, pl, Jan Mazepa Kołodyński; ) was a Ukrainian military, political, and civic leader who served as the Hetman of Zaporizhian Host in 1687–1708. ...
".
On January 6, after a liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Epiphanius and Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Bartholomew read the ''tomos'' of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and then gave it to Metropolitan Epiphanius.
On 8 January 2019, the tomos was brought back to Istanbul so that all the members of the
Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate could sign the tomos.
The ''tomos'' was signed by all members of the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 9 January 2018.
The ''tomos'', signed by all members of the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was brought back to Ukraine on the morning of 10 January 2019.
Enthronement
It was planned that Epiphany would be enthroned on 3 February 2019, which is also the date of his 40th birthday. Thereafter, the first synod of the OCU was to take place. The
monasteries of Mount Athos
The monastic community of Mount Athos is an Eastern Orthodox community of monks in Greece, enjoying the status of an autonomous region holding the combined rights of a decentralized administration, a region and a municipality, with its territo ...
declined to send a delegation for the enthronement ceremony "not because the
Fathers
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...
do not recognize its legitimacy or canonicity, but because they have chosen to stick with what has become official practice and accept invitations only to the enthronement of their ecclesiastical head, the
Ecumenical Patriarch." Two abbots of Mount Athos were planned to come at the enthronement but were to be part of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On 1 February, once in Kyiv, Archimandrite Ephrem, one of the two Athonite abbots, was hospitalized for a heart attack.
On 2 February, Archimandrite Ephrem was visited by Epiphanius.
As planned, Epiphanius was enthroned on 3 February 2019, in
St. Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv.
Filaret was not present due to health conditions, so he sent his written congratulations to the primate Epiphanius, Filaret's congratulations were written by him and read at the end of the liturgy. Archimandrite Ephrem, who had been hospitalized on 1 February 2019,
was not present at the ceremony of enthronement, but a
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...
of Ephrem's monastery was present during the ceremony of enthronement. A monk from a
skete
A skete ( ) is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, a ...
of the
Koutloumousiou Monastery was also present during the ceremony of enthronement.
The first meeting of the holy synod of the OCU took place on 5 February 2019.
Conflict with Filaret
A conflict erupted between
Filaret and Epiphanius because of disagreements concerning the model of governance, the management of the diaspora, and the name and the statute of the
OCU.
According to Filaret, the agreement reached at the unification council was as follows: "the primate is responsible for the external representation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and the patriarch is responsible for the internal church life in Ukraine, but in cooperation with the primate. The primate shall do nothing in the church without the consent of the patriarch. The patriarch chairs the meetings of the Holy Synod and the UOC meetings for the sake of preserving unity, its growth, and affirmation." Filaret considers this agreement have not been fulfilled.
Position on liberalization and LGBT issues
Epiphanius has said that he supports liberal reforms in church "to avoid this conservatism", "so that the church would be open".
In particular, answering a question about a possible softening of the church’s position on LGBT issues, he replied: “Well, it’s like a difficult question that we shouldn’t raise at the beginning of our journey. Because you know how the Ukrainian society perceives this issue. Therefore, at now we need to work on it so that the Ukrainian society perceives it... This is a long way and we will work on it."
Russo-Ukrainian War
Following the February 2022
Russian invasion and escalation of the
Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...
, Archbishop Daniel of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of USA; uk, Українська православна церква у США) is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. It consists of two eparchies (dioceses), ruled ...
reported that Epiphanius planned to remain in Ukraine during the fighting.As Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, he demanded that his Russian counterpart
Kirill of Moscow help remove the bodies of Russian soldiers who perished, questioning his loyalty to Russian President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
.
The Metropolitan repeatedly condemned
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
's actions, asking for help from the international community and suggesting second
Nuremberg trials
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...
to prosecute the crimes committed against Ukraine. Along with other local bishops, he offered their churches as shelters from the bombings. He also appealed to
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to arrange the repatriation of dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine. The Metropolitan claimed to be a target of the Russian forces.
Academic and social activities
Epiphanius is the head of the editorial board of scientific specialized editions ''Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy'' and ''Theological Bulletin of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy''.
He is also an author of more than 50 publications, including several
monographs
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograp ...
about Orthodox theology.
Epiphanius is an active religious leader and social activist. He participates in many scientific and educational activities, and has made a significant personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian
religious education and science and the development and strengthening of the
Ukrainian state
The Ukrainian State ( uk, Українська Держава, translit=Ukrainska Derzhava), sometimes also called the Second Hetmanate ( uk, Другий Гетьманат, translit=Druhyi Hetmanat, link=no), was an anti-Bolshevik government ...
. He received recognition for this contribution from both the state and the Church in the form of orders.
Awards
Orders
He has received the Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great of the Third Degree, the Order of the Holy Archangel Michael and the
Order of the Holy Cross of the
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
, image =
, imagewidth =
, type = Eastern Christian
, main_classification = Independent Eastern Orthodox
, scripture=Septuagint, New Testament, theology = Orthodox theology
, polity ...
.
He has also received awards and honors with the
Order of Merit of ІІ and III degrees, a letter of the
Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ( uk, Кабінет Міністрів України, translit=Kabinet Ministriv Ukrainy; shortened to CabMin), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine ( uk, Уряд України, ''Uriad Ukrai ...
, thanks to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, a letter of the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
, decorations of the
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian mi ...
,
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України, Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy, MVS) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior af ...
, command
Army of Ukraine, with distinctions of the
National Pedagogical Dragomanov University and the Ukrainian People's Embassy.
2019 Athenagoras Human Rights Award
Academic
Honorary doctor
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
of the
National Pedagogical Dragomanov University
Notes
See also
*
*
Conflict between Filaret and Epiphanius
References
External links
Videos of the ceremony of enthronement of Epiphanius:
*
Radio Liberty
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
LIVE , Інтронізація очільника ПЦУ Епіфанія* ZikTV
Інтронізація предстоятеля ПЦУ Епіфанія , 03.02.19* Прямий
Інтронізація предстоятеля Православної церкви України
{{authority control
1979 births
Living people
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni
Eastern Orthodox theologians
Ukrainian journalists
Ukrainian educational theorists
Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Ukrainian Orthodox primates
People from Odesa Oblast
Laureates of the Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine