Filaret in hospital due to exacerbation of chronic ailments – what is currently known about the Patriarch's condition

Patriarch Filaret of the UOC-KP, who was hospitalized on March 9 due to deteriorating health, is feeling better. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, according to UNN. 

Details

It is known that the day before, the Patriarch was visited in the medical facility by Archpriest Borys Tabachek and Archpriest Ioan Kyivskyi, clergymen of the Volodymyr Patriarchal Cathedral. Compared to the day His Holiness needed hospitalization, his health has improved.  

The press service of the UOC-KP does not disclose specific diagnoses with which Filaret is currently under the care of doctors. There is only information that the Patriarch's chronic ailments have worsened. In the medical facility, along with the necessary treatment, he is undergoing diagnostics.  

Patriarch Filaret hospitalized in Kyiv09.03.26, 16:08 • 3582 views

What is known about the health condition of His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine

In the media, Filaret's specific diagnoses were mentioned only in isolated cases. 

The information about his illnesses was most clearly voiced in September 2020. At that time, on September 4, the UOC-KP reported that the Patriarch had confirmed COVID-19, and on September 5, it became known about a diagnosed lung inflammation. 

In addition, there are at least two known cases when His Holiness required hospitalization in recent years.  

On February 3, 2019, Filaret could not attend the enthronement of Metropolitan Epiphanius because doctors forbade him to leave the medical facility due to blood pressure problems. 

In September 2020, the Patriarch was also hospitalized due to coronavirus infection. In October of the same year, Filaret himself said that he had been in intensive care for two weeks during his illness.

It is worth mentioning August 2025 separately. At that time, the OCU published a call for prayer for Filaret due to the obvious deterioration of his health. In response, the press service of the Kyiv Patriarchate stated that Filaret's condition was satisfactory and that he was undergoing a planned examination and treatment.

Context

Filaret is currently 97 years old. He is one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, and his church activities span several decades. For many years, Filaret headed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate and remained its key spiritual and administrative leader. It was his name that for a long time was associated with the struggle for a separate status of the Ukrainian church and its independence from Moscow. 

After the Unification Council and the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the new church structure received a tomos of autocephaly from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. After that, Filaret received the title of Honorary Patriarch. 

At the same time, his role in church life after the creation of the OCU has repeatedly become the subject of separate discussions and public disputes, but in the public space, he is still associated with the long history of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the process of establishing an independent Ukrainian church.