It has been announced where and when the funeral service for Patriarch Filaret will take place
20 March 22:13
In Kyiv, plans have been finalized for the funeral of Patriarch Filaret, who died on March 20, 2026, at the age of 97. The funeral ceremonies will last several days and conclude with the burial on Sunday, March 22. This was announced by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Where will the farewell to Filaret take place?
The farewell to the patriarch will take place at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral.
The patriarch’s body will be brought to the cathedral on the evening of March 20, and access for the faithful will open at approximately 8:00 p.m.
You can pay your respects to the patriarch:
- on the evening of March 20
- throughout the day on March 21.
The Gospel will also be read at the coffin, and memorial prayers will be offered in accordance with church tradition.
When will Filaret’s funeral take place?
The main memorial services are scheduled for Sunday, March 22:
- 8:30 a.m. – funeral liturgy
- after the service — funeral rite
- around 11:00 a.m. — funeral procession
At approximately 11:00 a.m., a funeral procession carrying the Patriarch’s body will depart from St. Michael’s Monastery, proceeding through St. Sophia Square to St. Vladimir’s Cathedral.
Upon the procession’s arrival at St. Vladimir’s Cathedral, the funeral rite will be completed, and the deceased will be laid to rest.
Who will lead the service
The funeral liturgy will be led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy together with the clergy.
At the same time, it is reported that the schedule of ceremonies may be subject to change, so believers are asked to follow official announcements.
The Church’s Response
Representatives of the clergy emphasized that the memory of the patriarch will remain an important part of the history of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
It was previously reported that in his spiritual will, Filaret expressed his wishes regarding the order of the funeral rites.
What is known about Filaret
Filaret was born on January 23, 1929. From 1995 to 2018, he served as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP); since December 15, 2018, he has held the title of “Honorary Patriarch.”
- The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate—an Orthodox church in Ukraine—existed from June 1992 until December 15, 2018 (as of November 14, 2019, the legal entity was dissolved). In December 2018, prior to the decision on its dissolution, it was divided into 34 dioceses, comprising over 5,000 parishes. Patriarch Filaret, the head of the UOC-KP, was granted the title of Honorary Patriarch after the Tomos of Autocephaly was granted to the successor of the UOC-KP, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
- Filaret, who was one of the founders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, refused to recognize it in 2019. He insists that the UOC-KP still exists and that he is its patriarch.
- In early May 2019, it became clear that Filaret continues to use the official letterhead of the Kyiv Patriarchate, awards orders and medals in the name of this structure, publishes decrees in the name of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and demands their implementation from the bishops and priests of the newly established OCU.
- In May, at the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, attempts were made to convince Filaret that the UOC-KP no longer existed, but they were unsuccessful.
- In February 2020, the OCU suspended Honorary Patriarch Filaret’s powers as a member of the Synod. This occurred after Bishop Filaret (Panku) of Falesti and Eastern Moldova transferred to the UOC-KP, even though his diocese is located in Moldova and, following the establishment of the OCU, was supposed to come under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
- Last October, it became known that Patriarch Filaret had stipulated in his will that after his death, his funeral service should be conducted not by the OCU, but by the bishops of the UOC-KP.
