DECR MP: Dozens of priests of Alexandrian Church ask to be admitted to ROC
The recognition of the OCU by Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria caused a split in the Alexandrian Church.
The Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, said in the program Church and Peace on the Russia-24 channel that dozens of priests of the Alexandrian Patriarchate, who did not agree with the recognition of the OCU, are asking to be admitted to the Russian Orthodox Church.
“When the Patriarch of Alexandria joined the Patriarch of Constantinople and recognized the schismatic structure in Ukraine as the Orthodox Church, commemorated its leader during the divine service, this caused an internal split in the Alexandrian Church, which was to be expected. Dozens of priests, who did not agree with this commemoration and with the recognition of the schism, appealed to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus to be admitted to the Russian Orthodox Church,” the DECR chairman noted.
Metropolitan Hilarion added that the Russian Church hoped that Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa would reconsider his decision, but this did not happen.
“In August of this year, Patriarch Theodore went to the island of Imvros – the place where Patriarch Bartholomew was born. There they performed a divine service together, in which the leader of the Ukrainian schismatics Epiphany Dumenko took part. From the point of view of church canons, if a hierarch concelebrates with a schismatic, he himself falls into schism. Unfortunately, church canons do not suggest any other interpretation,” said the DECR chairman.
After this concelebration, "Patriarch Theodore finally associated himself with the schism," so the Russian Orthodox Church has every reason to approve the appeals of the clergy of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, Metropolitan Hilarion stated.
“How long this issue will be considered and how our presence in Africa will be structured have yet to be decided at the next meetings of the Holy Synod,” summed up Metropolitan Hilarion.
As the UOJ previously reported, Archpriest Andrei Novikov said that rectors who wish to transfer to the MP are expelled from their parishes in the Alexandrian Church.
