The former Metropolitan of Klin, Leonid (Gorbachev), who became known as the “Exarch of the Moscow Patriarch in Africa”, was permanently removed from a church career by St. Synod of the Russian Church. In October of this year, he was removed from his post in Africa and sent to head the Yerevan-Armenian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, where the Russian Church has a small community. At its last meeting on December 27, the Russian synod stripped him of that position as well, without explanation, and sent him “to rest,” which is the Church’s term for sending him into retirement.
Retirement (resignation) of a bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church usually takes place upon reaching the age of 75, most often “in gratitude for his work”. Former Metropolitan Leonid (Gorbachev) is still young – he is 55 years old (born in 1968), and no thanks have been given to him. The Russian media commented on the unofficial information that the decision was due to “creating gross interpersonal and inter-church conflicts”.
In 2021, the ROC launched a criminal action under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria for entering into communion with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Several Russian clerics were sent there to tear off parishes of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and make new church structures on the African continent. In his capacity as “African Exarch”, Metropolitan Leonidas had threatened that “very soon Patriarch Theodore will sign the act of complete capitulation of the Patriarchate of Alexandria”. He was overthrown by St. Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria for schismatic activity in its jurisdiction, of which all local Orthodox churches were notified. Although the Bulgarian St. The Synod did not dare to condemn the Russian actions in Africa, the Bulgarian metropolitans decided to “refrain from communion” with the overthrown cleric.
After the assassination of Metropolitan Leonid’s patron and sponsor Yevgeny Prigozhin, the aspiring bishop fell out of favor and was removed from his post of “African Exarch”.
According to observers, the Kremlin’s interest in the “African mission” of the Russian Orthodox Church has declined, and after the death of Prigozhin, the activities of the “Russian missionaries” were left without funding.
In the circles of the Alexandrian Church, they comment with bitter irony that, although the removal from office of the odious bishop did not take place according to the proper church-canonical order, God found a way to implement the decision of their synod.
