Bukoba, Tanzania, May 16, 2022
Bp. Chrysostomos of Bukoba. Photo: imbukoba.gr
One hierarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria has sent a very strongly worded letter to representatives of the Russian Church concerning the activity of the Russian Church’s new Exarchate in Africa.
The letter of Bishop Chrysostomos of Bukoba of Western Tanzania, published on his diocesan site, is addressed to “To the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, to Bishop Leonid of Klin, and all the Russians who are fighting against our diocese and our Patriarchate. TO OUR RUSSIAN CRUCIFIERS.”
“We also celebrated the Resurrection of Christ with Orthodox Christians around the world a few days ago. And yet, our crucifiers! We remain here in Bukoba for the crucifixion, because you have crucified us,” the letter opens.
As the bishop recalls, he was consecrated to the episcopate and sent to the diocese about 40 days ago. Patriarch Theodoros used similarly strong language at the consecration of Bp. Chrysostomos, referring to Russian clerics as “pseudo-brothers from the north” and “bears and jackals … who come in an Orthodox cloak to ‘kill and destroy.’”
Before Bp. Chrysostomos arrived in his diocese, he heard about the activity of the Russian cleric Archpriest Andrei Novikov, who was active in the Bukoba Diocese, receiving priests into the Russian Exarchate. The ecclesiastical court of the Patriarchate of Alexandria later ruled to defrock Fr. Andrei together with Archpriest George Maximov, and Pat. Theodoros has also threatened to defrock Met. Leonid.
The Tanzanian hierarch’s letter continues: “Russians in Ukraine are dropping bombs on Orthodox brothers and in Africa they are dropping antimony bombs to destroy and uproot what the right hand of the Almighty has planted. Since then, these schismatic priests have severed all ties with us and are at war with us.”
Bp. Chrysostomos goes on to talk about how he personally knew and helped, both spiritually and materially, the priests who later went to the Russian Exarchate. “I loved them and I love them very much and I didn’t expect that they would leave us, betray our love, and be ungrateful. They have greatly saddened me,” he writes.
These priests have betrayed the Church that ordained them and been led into the deadly sin of schism, Bp. Chrysostomos continues.
Accusing the Russian Church of ethnophyletism, the hierarch writes that it has “been fighting with the Patriarchate of Constantinople for 500 years.” “You are fighting with our Patriarch. You are fighting with the poor Orthodox of Africa,” he states.
For 2,000 years, African priests have gotten their priesthood from the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which continues to spread the light of Orthodoxy in the tradition of great saints such as Sts. Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, he writes.
In conclusion, Bp. Chrysostomos calls on the leadership of the Russian Exarchate to leave the African priests alone, for the good of their souls.
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