Russian Orthodox Church names Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria a schismatic

Patriarch Theodore and Epiphany Dumenko. Photo: pomisna.info

The head of the DECR of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), believes that the primate of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Theodore, has joined the schism, according to the Greek website Romfea.

On the air of the Church and Peace program, Metropolitan Hilarion said that the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on September 23-24 decided to consider the requests of the clergy of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church for their acceptance into the jurisdiction of the ROC.

According to the hierarch, “when the Patriarch of Alexandria joined the Patriarch of Constantinople and recognized the schismatic structure in Ukraine as the Orthodox Church, commemorated its leader during the divine service, this caused an internal split in the Alexandrian Church, which was to be expected. Dozens of priests, who did not agree with this commemoration and with the recognition of the schism, appealed to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus to be admitted to the Russian Orthodox Church."

The Russian Church, said Metropolitan Hilarion, hoped that Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa would reconsider his decision (on the recognition of the OCU – Ed.), but this never happened.

“In August of this year, Patriarch Theodore went to the island of Imvros – the place where Patriarch Bartholomew was born. There they performed a divine service together, in which the leader of the Ukrainian schismatics Epiphany Dumenko took part. From the point of view of church canons, if a hierarch concelebrates with a schismatic, he himself falls into schism. Unfortunately, church canons do not suggest any other interpretation,” Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized.

After the joint liturgy with Dumenko, Vladyka believes, "Patriarch Theodore finally joined the schism," and the Russian Orthodox Church "has no reason not to accept the requests of the clergy of the Alexandrian Patriarchate," Metropolitan Hilarion said.

“How long this issue will be considered and how our presence in Africa will be structured have yet to be decided at the next meetings of the Holy Synod,” the bishop concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the ROC intends to admit those clerics of the Alexandrian Church who did not recognize the OCU.

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