On December 29, 2021, St. The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has decided to “grant the requests” of one hundred and two clergymen from the Patriarchate of Alexandria to join the ROC due to the recognition by Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria of the newly established Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine. According to the ROC, insofar as it announced the severance of canonical relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and all local Orthodox churches that come into contact with Ukrainian autocephaly, declared schismatics by the ROC, a group of clergymen of the Alexandrian Patriarchate wanted to move to the “canonical .
In the days after the announcement in the media about the transfer of the mentioned clerics to the African Exarchate of the ROC, the English text of the oath declaration, which the “passing” clerics must sign, was announced in the media. It is entitled “Oath of Loyalty” and its text reads:
I, ……………………….., who now come under the omophorion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and want to become a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, I declare to God and His Holy Cross and Gospel that I am transferring from the Orthodox Church of Alexandria to the Russian Orthodox Church voluntarily and not under any pressure. I do this not in pursuit of personal financial gain, but for the sole purpose of saving my soul from the spiritual danger of contacting the schism in Ukraine with which the Patriarch of Alexandria came into communion. Realizing that a priest cannot perform his ministry without a bishop, I now turn to the supreme authority of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is free from any attitude toward schism. I swear to remain faithful to the Patriarch of Moscow and to the bishop appointed by him until his death, to be in obedience, as required by the rules of the Orthodox Church. I swear to worship and to administer the sacraments with zeal and reverence in observance of church statutes and not to make unauthorized changes. I promise to keep the teachings of the faith and to instruct others under the guidance of the Holy Orthodox Church and the Holy Fathers, to keep the souls entrusted to my care from all heresies and schisms, and to exhort those who have gone astray by guiding them to the path of righteousness. and salvation. I promise to lead my life in piety and moderation, in a spirit of chastity and meekness. I swear not to enter into prayerful and canonical communion with persons who do not belong to the Orthodox Church or are in a schism. I swear not to leave the place where I will be assigned to serve and not to move to another place without the permission of my archpastor. If I break my oath of allegiance to the canonical Church and fall into schism, may the Lord punish me.
At the end of my solemn promise, I kiss the Holy Gospel and the Cross of my Savior. Amen.
By signing here, I certify my loyalty to this oath: ………………………………… ……
(rank, name, surname).
I hereby testify to the oath I have taken:
……………………………..
(date, place)
So far, there is no information on the formal procedure for the transfer of the breakaway African clergy to the MoJ.
St. The Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria will discuss Russian actions in Africa
St. The Synod of the Church of Alexandria met from January 10 to 12, and the central topic on the agenda will be the actions of the Moscow Patriarchate to create its own structure within the jurisdiction of the Church of Alexandria.
The issue have been discussed on the first working day, with a report on the topic by the Metropolitan of Cameroon Gregory, followed by a discussion with the participation of all bishops.
Another topic on the second day of the meetings was the payment of clerics in Africa, which will be reported by the Metropolitan of Zimbabwe and Angola Seraphim.
The missionary work was discussed on the third working day, and the Bishop of Arusha Agathonik will acquaint his brothers with the main problems of the mission of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, including those created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria presented a report on what the patriarchate has done in 2021.
In its statement, the synod accused the leadership of the ROC-MP of distorting Orthodox ecclesiology. He called the formation of a Russian exarchate in Africa a “sign of neocolonialism” and a “claim to world domination” that is not part of the Orthodox tradition.
In particular, the statement said:
“In the name of the Triune God, we gathered in the great city of Alexandria at the invitation of His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, and with a sense of responsibility for the flock and the centuries-old history of our apostolic path. After its meeting, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, considering in depth the canonical parameters of the anti-canonical and anti-church invasion of the Patriarchate of Russia through the creation of new “church formations in Africa”, announced the following:
In the last two years, after the recognition by His Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Mr. Theodore II of the Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we have suddenly faced the anti-canonical and immoral invasion and entry (into our territory) of Russia. church in a way that does not correspond to the church practice and tradition respected by all the memorable predecessors of the Russian Patriarch Mr. Kirill to bribe the local clergy of our patriarchate by imposing retaliatory measures (against the Patriarchate of Alexandria) in order to they blackmail and avenge us.
Following the announcement of the Moscow Patriarchate on December 29, 2021, we now have the relevant official decisions and statements from the Russian Church, as well as interviews with its staff on the completely anti-canonical establishment based on its internal “statutes” rather than canonical provisions. “Within the boundaries of our patriarchate, which (exarchate) consists of self-separated clergymen under ecclesiastical punishment, or of others of unknown origin, self-proclaimed Orthodox, but never belonging to the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
These actions revealed an attempt to change Orthodox ecclesiology in many of its features, but especially with regard to the question of the boundaries of the administrative division of the structures of the Church of Christ according to criteria that are far from Orthodox tradition. We find with pain that all these things are due to sinful causes infected with the “virus of ethnophiletism” condemned by the Council of 1872.
Of course, these decisions do not lack the secular spirit, reminiscent in some respects of even “neocolonialism” with claims to world domination, known in the past on the tortured African continent, which contradicts the sacrificial spirit of service to our Orthodox and sacred tradition.
The Synod of the Hierarchy of the Cathedral of Alexandria protested in pain and surprise in front of the Patriarchate of Russia and its Synod. Surprisingly, for us, “following our holy fathers,” the boundaries of each sister local church are clear geographically and defined by the ecumenical councils, and therefore worthy of respect. We declare that we have never interfered within the boundaries of any local sister church, much less within those of the Russian Church. And this, not only because it distorts the message of evangelical love, but also because, although we have fought and coexisted with different denominations and religions for centuries in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, we are receiving a non-fraternal blow from our fellow Russians. We believe that these methods seriously violate the essence of our Orthodox faith, especially with regard to the sensitive field of the mission in Africa, which is “fed” by us “as an infant with milk and not with solid theological food”, in the words of the Apostle Paul, who is the authority and criterion for our apostolic work.
Therefore, we decide the following:
a) To inform the venerable Ecumenical Patriarchate and the local churches through their superiors with patriarchal letters to be surrendered, which will describe our “plague” attack on the “children born of us in Christ”, the believing Africans, as a result of obvious and implicit actions of authorized representatives of the Russian Church.
b) The true and immediate application to all transgressors of the provisions of the divine and sacred canons of ecclesiastical punishment.
