Letter from the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Ecumenical Patriarch on the Russian intrusion
The members of the official Delegation of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, Metropolitans Gregory of Cameroon, Ioannis of Zambia, and Bishop Prodromos of Toliara and N. Madagascar, as well as Metropolitan Ignatios of Demitriados and Almyros, Hierarch of the Most Holy Church of Greece, and faithful from Constantinople and abroad.
On Saturday, January 22, the Ecumenical Patriarch received the Archpriests of the Church of Alexandria, who presented him with a letter from Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa regarding the case of the Moscow Patriarchate’s intrusion into the jurisdiction of the Alexandrian Throne.
It was informed by RISU, that the Patriarchate of Alexandria, after the completion of its working sessions, 12 January issued an announcement.
As the Patriarchate of Alexandria characteristically pointed out, “for the last two years, due to the recognition by Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, of the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, we have suddenly faced the immoral invasion and intrusion of the Russian Church through non-canonical and indecent methods to ecclesiastical practice and tradition, which was respected by all the predecessors of Patriarch Cyril”.
The Patriarchate of Alexandria emphasized that the Moscow Patriarchate essentially “acquired” clergy of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, in retaliation and consequently blackmail or revenge.
The Patriarchate recalled that the creation of an “Exarchate” by Russia within the areas of jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria is non-canonical and statements on this issue in favor of the Russian side have been made by clergy who have either removed themselves or are of unknown origin, who identify themselves as Orthodox but never belonged to the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
In its announcement, the Patriarchate spoke of an attempt to alter Orthodox Ecclesiology, “for spiteful reasons, infected with the virus of ethnocentrism, which was condemned by the Synod of 1872”.
The Patriarchate of Alexandria stressed that these decisions of the Russian Patriarchate even refer to “parameters of neo-colonialism” and “claim to world supremacy” that do not agree with the Orthodox tradition.
The Patriarchate Alexandria decided to inform both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the local Church through Patriarchal letters, which will describe the actions of the Russian Church, while applying faithfully and directly what is provided by the rules of ecclesiastical punishment, to offenders.
