ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wˈʌn, æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː, hiː wʌz ᵻlˈɛktᵻd ɪn æbsˈɛntiːə æz ðə fˈɜːst pˈeɪtɹɪˌɑːɹk ʌv kjˈɪv ænd ˈɔːl juːkɹˈeɪn ʌvðə jˈuːeɪˌɑːk.
In 1991, at the age of 93, he was elected in absentia as the first Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine of the UAOC.