Exarch of Africa: Russian Church is not engaged in expansion

Metropolitan Leonid spoke about the tasks of the African Exarchate. Photo: pravkuban.ru

The Russian Orthodox Church does not have expansive ambitions, the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin said in an interview with Interfax-Religion.

“We have said before and will reiterate it: the Russian Orthodox Church is not engaged in expansion. The Patriarch of Constantinople committed a canonical crime by entering into church communion with schismatics. A number of Orthodox Churches supported this unlawful decision and concelebrated with the people who do not have canonical, i.e. legal ordination, who are not clergy at all."

The creation of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Africa is aimed at ensuring Orthodox life for those who do not want to be associated with schism.

“We know that, according to the teaching of the Church," whoever is in communion with the schismatics becomes a schismatic.”  We have defended and will continue to defend Orthodox Christians who refuse to associate themselves with schism,” said Metropolitan Leonid.

The UOJ wrote that the Primate of the Albanian Church considers the Exarchate of the ROC in Africa to be a response to the creation of the OCU.

The UOJ wrote that African clerics are being threatened with defrocking for moving to the Russian Orthodox Church.

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