The Bishops’ Council of the UOC Kyiv Patriarchate, at an extraordinary meeting that lasted on the evening of March 20 and the morning of March 21, determined the new head of the church after the death of Patriarch Filaret, who passed away on March 20. Archbishop Nikodim of Sumy was declared the new patriarch of the UOC KP. This is evidenced by a video recording made by the bishops, as well as a joint statement published on Facebook.
According to the newly elected Patriarch of the UOC-KP Nikodim, the bishops who are both in Ukraine and abroad took part in the vote, while those who were abroad joined the vote online.
The act on the election of the new primate of the UOC-KP was read out by the Archbishop of Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih Daniel:
“Those present who participated in the vote: Metropolitan of Belgorod and Oboyansky, Exarch of All Russia Joasaph; Metropolitan of Faleshtsky, Exarch of Moldova Filaret; Archbishop of Bila Tserkva Andriy; Archbishop of Sumy Nikodim; Archbishop of Dnipro Daniel; Bishop of Odessa Nikon; Bishop of Kherson Mikhail; Bishop of Valuysky Petro.
By secret ballot, Archbishop of Sumy and Okhtyrsky Nikodim (Kobzar) was unanimously elected Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine.
Archbishop Andriy of Bila Tserkva refused to participate in the vote, based, from his point of view, on the violation of the regulations and statutes of the UOC-KP”.
In a joint statement, the participants of the Council also emphasized: “We continue the work of our spiritual Father – His Holiness Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine Filaret – in the creation and establishment of a truly independent local Ukrainian Church with a Patriarchal system and we solemnly carry out his will”.
The statement also refers to the conflict between representatives of the OCU and the UOC-KP. In particular, it states that “contrary to the openly expressed will of His Holiness the Patriarch, which he noted in his spiritual testament, the leadership of the OCU by force, godlessly, took the body of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret from the hospital and transported him to St. Michael’s Cathedral for burial.”
The text also states that when “the hierarchs of the UOC-KP decided to perform the funeral of Patriarch Filaret in absentia and hold a meeting of the Bishops’ Council to elect a new Patriarch in the St. Volodymyr Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv, we were asked to leave the cathedral and began to threaten to call the police, arrest and use force against the hierarchs.”
“We remain faithful to the free Ukrainian people and preserve the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate as an independent spiritual institution, without the intention of joining any other church structures,” the bishops stated.
In October 2025, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret noted in his spiritual testament that after his death, the funeral service should not be performed by the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
