By Pavel Liberman
Filaret, former Metropolitan of Kyiv and now head of the abolished organization “Kyiv Patriarchate”, is trying to gather all the Old Calendarists under his “omophorion”.
Sources in Kyiv say that after the “inclusion” in the “Kyiv Patriarchate” of the “Metropolitan of Aegina and Poros” Afxentios (Marinis), the organization of old calendarists GOX (Genuine Orthodox Christians), which took place on October 23, Filaret also came in contact with other old calendarists in Greece.
In fact, one of them went to Kyiv and met with Filaret last weekend.
It is not ruled out that this Greek old calendarist will “join” in mid-December, during the “Holy Synod of the Kyiv Patriarchate”, as the previous one had taken place again during the “Synod” of the unrecognized organization.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and personally Epifaniy are particularly concerned about Filarets’ behavior.
Gradually, from an elderly clergyman, who was forgiven for everything due to his age and his contribution to the creation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Filaret begins to create serious problems, such as possible frictions with the Greek Church, due to his involvement with the Old Calendarists.
My sources underline that a few months before Filaret; representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate had also shown intense interest in the Greek old calendarists. However, the same sources do not specify whether these developments are interrelated.
