The representative of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” in the Russian Federation Ioasaf Shibaev told in Facebook in what way the enthronement of “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko took place. According to him, he was sure that due to the absence of Filaret at the event it would be postponed, but this did not happen.

“When I went to Kyiv to the enthronement of Epiphany, while still on the road, I called the Patriarch and found out that he was in the hospital. I, in my simplicity, decided that Epiphany, because of the Patriarch’s illness, would postpone his enthronement. How can this be done without the participation of the one who built all this by his exploit, including Epiphany himself. I was absolutely sure of that.

I think the guests will gather for the enthronement, Epiphany will announce that the Patriarch is sick and the enthronement is postponed, but we will simply all serve the Liturgy together, since everyone has already come. And we will come again for the enthronement. I even thought that God arranged everything with the Patriarch’s illness in order to enable Epiphany to demonstrate to people the best qualities of his soul. To make such a reverent and beautiful gesture at the very beginning of your primate ministry. I shared these reflections with my vicar, with whom I was travelling to this celebration. We come and find out – enthronement is to be organized without the Patriarch. The Patriarch was deliberately hidden in the hospital”, suggests Ioasaf Shibaev.