Patriarch Bartholomew in the 90s, despite his sympathy for Filaret Denisenko, realized that he could not be the head of the Ukrainian Church, because this would be contrary to all canonical norms. Igor Turyansky, the former Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, spoke about this during the round table “Moscow Patriarchate in the Russian War against Ukraine”, which took place on October 31, 2022 in Kyiv at the initiative of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies.

Turyansky said that in October 1993, the diplomatic mission of Ukraine arrived in Istanbul to meet with the head of the Phanar, during which politicians and the patriarch discussed the idea of ​​​​creating an “independent church.”

“The main thought of Bartholomew then was the fact that it was impossible to rely on Filaret, because he was excommunicated from the Church. This is wrong from a moral, human point of view and impossible according to church canons, which cannot be violated. He said that he loves Filaret, considers him his brother, but he cannot support him, ”said Turyansky.

According to the ex-ambassador, Bartholomew then called Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) a person who could create an independent Church in an independent country.