From Kiev to Nairobi: An unholy export

By letting Ukrainian schismatics serve Liturgy in Kenya, Alexandria forced its African flock into a grave canonical violation The Orthodox Church is very strict about the sin of schism.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote, “If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Likewise, Saint John Chrysostom wrote, “The sin of schism is not washed away even by the blood of martyrdom.” In this context, a recent event in Africa is of particular significance.

While it may not attract the attention of secular people, it holds particular significance for devout Christians.

At the end of July, a delegation from the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) made an official visit to the Metropolis of Nairobi of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.

With the ‘blessing’ of so-called ‘Metropolitan’ Epiphanius Dumenko, ‘Metropolitan’ Eustratiy Zoria and ‘Archpriest’ Vitaly Danchak arrived in Kenya.

On July 25, they were received at the residence of Archbishop Makarios (Tillyrides) of Nairobi, to whom the guests presented a bishop’s panagia, among other gifts.

On July 26, with the blessing of the archbishop, the schismatics from the OCU celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of Sts.

Cosmas and Damian.

Eustratiy Zoria presided over the Liturgy, assisted by the local African clergy. © Press Service Of The Kiev Archdiocese The Ukrainian Orthodox Church This confirms that the creation of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa of the Russian Orthodox Church was a timely decision.

The Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa was created after Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, contrary to his previous position and without any explanation, recognized the OCU in 2019.

The Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa was initially established for those priests, religious, and laity of the Church of Alexandria who wished to avoid contact with the schismatics.

The fact that the Ukrainian groups from which the OCU was formed are schismatics is not the “private opinion of solely the Russian Orthodox Church” ; it was the common position of absolutely all regional Orthodox Churches from the 1990s to 2018, and was confirmed by official church documents.

The defrocking and excommunication of the self-proclaimed ‘Patriarch of Ukraine’ Filaret Denisenko was also recognized by all the regional Orthodox Churches without exception, including the patriarchates of Constantinople and Alexandria.

Moreover, Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria once said in an interview that when he served as archimandrite at the Representation of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Odessa, Ukraine, and learned that Ukrainian schismatics wanted to come into the church, he stood at the door and barred them from entering.