Patriarch of Alexandria protests Copts giving a church to Russian Exarchate

Alexandria, July 13, 2022

Romfea Romfea     

Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria is extremely displeased that the Coptic church, also centered in Alexandria, decided to give a church building for the use of the Russian Church’s African Exarchate.

The Russian Church has been building warm relations with the Coptic church for years now, and in June, it was announced that the Church of the Great Martyr and Wonderworker Mina and Pope Cyrillos VI in the Gardens of the Pyramids in Giza was being made available to the Russian Exarchate for free.

Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, the head of the Exarchate, celebrated the first Liturgy there on June 25.

However, the Patriarchate of Alexandria recognizes the Exarchate as an invasion of its canonical territory. The Alexandrian ecclesiastical court even ruled to defrock Archpriests George Maximov and Andrei Novikov for their activity in Africa, and Pat. Theodoros has threatened to do the same to Met. Leonid.

In a strongly worded letter dated July 11, Pat. Theodoros informs the Coptic Pope Tawadros of his “great surprise and deep disappointment” at the news.

For the Alexandrian Patriarch, the Coptic decision “constitutes a direct interference in serious internal matters of the Orthodox Church… Matters that concern purely intra-Orthodox relations.”

Pat. Theodoros tells Pope Tawadros that the Russian Church denounces, “for its own selfish purposes,” any Church that accepts Constantinople’s creation of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” and it has gone as far as to “anti-canonically invade our spiritual jurisdiction,” looking to take Alexandrian clergy for “vengeful and selfish purposes.”

The decision to give a church to the Russian Church is a hindrance to further cooperation and the good relations between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Coptic church, Pat. Theodoros writes. In fact, such a move is an “act of ingratitude” to the Patriarchate, which has stood by the Coptic church in difficult moments, the Patriarch states sharply.

In conclusion, the Alexandrian primate writes that he is expecting an immediate resolution to the issue from the side of the Coptic church.

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7/13/2022

See also
Coptic Church donates Church of Great Martyr Mina to Russian Orthodox Church for free use Coptic Church donates Church of Great Martyr Mina to Russian Orthodox Church for free use Coptic Church donates Church of Great Martyr Mina to Russian Orthodox Church for free use Coptic Church donates Church of Great Martyr Mina to Russian Orthodox Church for free use
On June 25, 2022, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the church in his capacity as Russian Exarch on African soil. Dozens of African priests serve first Liturgy of Russian Exarchate (+VIDEO) Dozens of African priests serve first Liturgy of Russian Exarchate (+VIDEO) Dozens of African priests serve first Liturgy of Russian Exarchate (+VIDEO) Dozens of African priests serve first Liturgy of Russian Exarchate (+VIDEO)
The Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon in the village of Ebuyangu, with priests from the surrounding districts. A Timeline of the Moscow-Alexandria Schism A Timeline of the Moscow-Alexandria Schism A Timeline of the Moscow-Alexandria Schism A Timeline of the Moscow-Alexandria Schism
Jesse Dominick
In late 2019, Patriarch Theodoros entered into communion with the Ukrainian schismatics, setting off a chain reaction that culminated in the Russian Synod’s decision to create an African Exarchate, beginning with the reception of 102 African priests. OrthoChristian presents here a brief timeline of the major events of the Moscow-Alexandria conflict and a more detailed timeline, including various statements and smaller events.
Comments
anonymous7/15/2022 12:34 pm
In addition, you are also confusing His Holiness Patriarch Pius X of Rome with Eugenio Pacelli, a fellow Italian who claimed himself to be Patriarch of Rome under the name Pius XII, and committed such abominations as invoking the laughable idea of "Papal Infallibility" to enforce the doctrine of "Immaculate Conception", that is the notion that the Christotokos herself was conceived free of the natural sin which all humans inherit from Adam and Eve, and thereby somehow more than human in nature (physis) herself from the time of her conception...
anonymous7/15/2022 12:12 pm
So according to Michael, who calls select Orthodox Patriarchates "non-Orthodox Churches" on par with "secular states" and "random homeowners", the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, the Mother of all Christians, the Body of Christ, does in fact not exist, and I'm just "a strange eclectic" troll... And you call yourself a Christian, Michael? Let alone Orthodox? Shame on you. Christians remain in communion with all churches that are in communion with Christ, as Jesus taught us, and those schismatics, heretics and apostates that have abandoned Him to commune with the anti-christ, we leave to Satan. Glory unto the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Michael7/15/2022 12:31 am
Well, for everyone else reading these comments and feeling completely confused by what anonymous (the first one, lowercase-a) is saying, I looked up all the Patriarchs he mentioned and came to the following conclusion: He recognizes a strange mix of Oriental/monophysite, schismatic Orthodox, canonical Orthodox, and pre-Vatican II Catholic (?!?) Patriarchs. I'm pretty sure there is not a single organization in the world that holds to this strange eclectic mix of Patriarchs, so to make a long story short, anonymous is trolling. Ignore him.
anonymous7/14/2022 8:27 pm
Imagine calling my comment a joke, while pretending as if "the only true church", the Holy Mother Church, the Body of Christ, the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, accepts any Greek schismatic patriarchs... There is only one Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and he is Coptic, just as there is only one Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch and he is Syrian, there is only one Patriarch Nourhan of Jerusalem and he is Armenian, there is only one Patriarch Dositej III of Constantinople and he is Macedonian, there is only one Patriarch Mathias of Axum and he is Ethiopian, there has not been any Patriarch of Rome since Pius X and he was Italian, there is only one Patriarch Vissarion of Georgia and he is Abkhazian, there is only one Patriarch of Ukraine and he is the Russian Patriarch Kiril of Moscow, etc. The Church currently does not know any Greek Patriarchs and has not for several centuries already, because the Church does not care about the political games of schismatics, heretics and apostates. If the Greek schismatics did not want a Russian Exarchate in Africa, perhaps they should not have turned their backs of Christ. But instead of showing humility and penitence, we see them starting a "Slavic Vicariate" in America to try and turn others away from God too!
Anonymous7/14/2022 4:45 pm
@James If you read my message in it's entirety, I clearly I explained that I am apart of ROCOR. It a pretty far reach for you to assume that I not Orthodox and "therefore like to bash everyone in any of the churches?". I WILL NOT put my hope in princes and sons of men in whom there is no salvation, just as we are taught. If you choose to do so, that's your prerogative. How do you consider what I said to be " bashing" others? It is a fact that many hierarchs have sold out but they are not the church...and again, the church has existed before without physical buildings, do you think it won't happen again? True Orthodoxy will be here until the end of the world but that doesn't mean it will exist in our physical churches. Are you not aware that it's prophesied that the Anti-Christ will be enthroned in an "Orthodox" church? Do you consider the den of the beast they just "concecrated" at Ground Zero a real church?
James7/14/2022 4:18 pm
Anonymous 2: Rather sweeping statement from you: "Don't hold your breath thinking that one jurisdiction as a whole will defend Orthodoxy, most of them have sold out." Which church do you go to, the "True Orthodox Church"? Or maybe you're not Orthodox at all, and therefore like to bash everyone in any of the churches?
Anonymous7/14/2022 3:57 pm
@anonymous You have GOT to be joking with your comment. They are not churches, as we are the ONLY true church. Referring to the the Copt's as our "brothers in Christ" is no different than Pat. Bartholomew calling the Pope his brother in Christ. My favorite (LOL) version of this saying is "our churches are each one lung in the Body of Christ" (somebody please turn down the laughing gas, Bart's getting to much!) Also, you stated "the Greek schismatic trying to throw his political weight around to interfere where he is neither recognized nor has any jurisdiction"....... Consider the fact that that is EXACTLY what Russia is doing. What business do they have expanding outside of Russia? Africa has it's own canonical church therefore it is an invasion of their territory by the ROC. How is this any different that what occurred with the Antiochians and Jerusalem? Why is ROC still trying to expand here in America? It is ROCOR's and any churches or monasteries created by the MP in ROCOR's territory since 2007 goes against the agreement of reunion between the churches. Sounds to me like church imperialism! ROC is looking pretty foolish how they handled the Ukrainian situation and breaking communion with canonical churches, invading another jurisdictions territory in Africa and embracing Monophysites and communing them in our churches. Don't believe it happens? I witnessed it first hand in my ROCOR church and when questioning the priest was told that this was the directive issued to them by the ROC. I am sick and tired of reading articles constantly attacking the EP and GOA. Of course they are acting in an evil manner and flaunting it in our faces, that is no surprise. Funny though, ROC is equally up to no good playing victim, the blame game and constantly pointing to the EP. Why? That's the tactic of the pointer - look at what I am pointing to and don't look at me. That's some fine Soviet psychological training being implemented. Don't hold your breath thinking that one jurisdiction as a whole will defend Orthodoxy, most of them have sold out. Pretty soon true Orthodox Christians will be headed for the catacombs yet again!!!!
anonymous7/14/2022 1:48 am
Which Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria is the real one, the Copt letting his Russian brothers in Christ hold services in one of his churches, or the Greek schismatic trying to throw his political weight around to interfere where he is neither recognized nor has any jurisdiction?
Michael7/13/2022 7:44 pm
This makes no sense. What if the Russian Church received a building from a real estate developer, or just a house from its owner? Would that mean that the real estate developer, or the homeowner, was committing "direct interference in serious internal matters of the Orthodox Church"? People and organizations are allowed to give buildings to whoever they want. Even if the Moscow Patriarchate is indeed breaking Church canons, the canons don't bind those outside the Church in their decisions about what to do with their buildings. Neither a secular state, nor a non-Orthodox Church, nor a random homeowner for that matter, has any responsibility to abide by Orthodox jurisdictional lines.
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