Epiphanius – Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (2018 – present).
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on February 3, 1979 in the village of Volkove, Ivanovo district, Odessa region.
In 1996, he completed his studies at the Starozhadivka secondary school of I-III degrees. After that, he entered the Kyiv Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1999. In the same year, he entered the Kyiv Theological Academy.
During 2006 – 2007 he interned at the National University of Athens at the Faculty of Philosophy in Greece.
He received the degree of Doctor of Theological Sciences on August 30, 2012.
Ministry
In the period from July 1, 2003 to December 31, 2005, he held the position of secretary-referent of the Rivne diocesan administration, at the same time acting as the personal secretary of Metropolitan Daniel of Rivne and Ostroh.
From August 26, 2003 to the end of 2005, he taught at the Rivne Theological Seminary, where he also worked as a senior assistant inspector.
During 2003 – 2005, he was the editor of the Internet resource “Rivne Pravoslavne”, which served as the official website of the Rivne diocese, and was also a member of the editorial board of the printed edition of the same eparchy – the newspaper “Dukhovna Niva”.
In 2005, he was the press secretary of the Rivne Diocesan Administration. In the same year, he became a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
Since 2007, he began teaching at the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, heading the Department of Philology. In December, he took monastic vows, after which he received the name Epiphanius in honor of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus.
On January 6, 2008, in the Kyiv St. Vladimir Patriarchal Cathedral, Patriarch Filaret was ordained a hierodeacon, and on January 20 of the same year – a hieromonk. He was also appointed secretary of Patriarch Filaret.
In the same year:
- in the Vladimir Patriarchal Cathedral he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by His Holiness Patriarch Filaret;
- received an appointment to the post of abbot of St. Michael’s Vydubychi Monastery in Kyiv;
- became the chancellor of the Kyiv Patriarchate;
- was awarded the title of Associate Professor of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
On October 21, 2009, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), he was elected Bishop of Vyshgorod, vicar of the Kyiv diocese.
On July 27, 2010, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, he was appointed rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, as well as the administrator of the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi diocese.
On March 17, 2011, by the same decision of the Synod, he headed the editorial committee.
On November 17, 2011, he received the academic title of Professor of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.
In 2012, within the walls of the same academy, he received the degree of Doctor of Theology. In January, by decree of Patriarch Filaret, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop, after which he became a permanent member of the Synod of the UOC-KP.
On June 28, 2013, by the decision of the Council of Bishops of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Bila Tserkva, at the same time he was appointed to the post of patriarchal vicar with the rights of a diocesan bishop.
On December 13, 2017, the Holy Synod of the UOC-KP changed his title to Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva.
On December 13, 2018, he was nominated as a candidate for the post of Primate of the only local Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On December 15, 2018, during the Unification Council, held in St. Sophia Cathedral, he was elected Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
On January 6, 2019, in the Cathedral of St. George the Victorious on the Phanar, during the Divine Liturgy, he received a tomos on the autocephaly of the OCU from the hands of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
