Exarch for Africa: 170 clerics have now left Church of Alexandria for ROC

In an interview with interfax-religion, the Patriarchal Exarch for Africa, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin stated that about 160-170 clerics have already transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church from the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Africa.

“The approximate number of clerics who have joined the Russian Orthodox Church is now nearly 160-170 people. But we understand that behind many figures are, first of all, living people with whom we work on earth. They never heard the Patriarch of Alexandria explaining why he had recognized the OCU; there were only excuses like ‘we will decide everything ourselves’. In one of the African countries, when asked directly to shed light on the situation, Patriarch Theodore did not hesitate to answer, ‘You don’t need this, this is between me and Patriarch Kirill’,” said Metropolitan Leonid.

The Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Church added that he was struck by the indifference of the Alexandrian episcopate towards their flock in Africa; in some countries people were completely abandoned. Moreover, Metropolitan Leonid will not remember such a genocide perpetrated by the Patriarchate of Alexandria against the clerics who passed to the Russian Orthodox Church.

“I was struck by the lack of conditions for Orthodox life in the sense in which we are accustomed to seeing it in Russia. People are absolutely abandoned in some countries. Bishops visit them a couple of times a year, but the former are mostly based in their homeland – Greece. According to statistics, only a few black bishops have recently been ordained, but this happened, please note, for the first time in the last few decades!” said the Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Many things that we encounter there: social, humanitarian, educational programs – not only do they not exist, but the Alexandrians still aggravate the situation, depriving people of shelter, expelling clergymen who came to us from their homes, expelling children from school, depriving them of education, blocking the water in some parishes. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life and survived more than one war, but I don’t remember such a humiliation of the indigenous population given that there are no hostilities – I don’t want to use the word ‘genocide’,” added Metropolitan Leonid.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Russian Orthodox Church stated that the establishment of the Exarchate in Africa is an attempt to protect the Orthodox from schism.

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