The Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore II celebrated his name day in Kenya, where on February 17 he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the church of “St. Macarius of Egypt” at the patriarchal school “Archbishop Macarius III of Cyprus”. He was concelebrated by Metropolitans Macarius of Nairobi, George of Guinea, Demetrius of Irinoupolis, bishops and clergy from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. At the service, students from the patriarchal seminary in Riruta sang in Swahili.
The Patriarch also unveiled a memorial plaque that will testify to the contribution of Archbishop Anastasios (Yanulatos) of Tirana and All Albania to the Orthodox mission in Kenya in the years 1982-1991.
In his address, Patriarch Theodore thanked God for leading his steps back to Kenya at a time when humanity is shaken by social and natural cataclysms, and the Patriarchate of Alexandria, founded by St. Apostle Mark, is under attack by a sister church that has gone beyond its canonical jurisdiction to fight the Church in Africa instead of fighting for its own flock.
The Patriarch of Alexandria linked the Parable of the Prodigal Son to the schism that Russian priests are causing in Kenya, and called on the secessionist local clergy to return to the bosom of the Church of Alexandria, to their bishops who ordained them, but not as prodigal sons, but as true children, “who left their family because of the misleading propaganda of the sister church of the North, which today serves political, not ecclesiastical, interests.”
The Patriarch thanked Senior Metropolitan of Nairobi Makarios for his long and dedicated service in Kenya – a country he had loved since the first day he arrived to work in the local mission, and where he had fought for Orthodoxy for forty-six years, sacrificing his academic career but obeying the teachings of St. Sophrony (Sakharov), Archbishop Makarios and his professor, Metropolitan Callistos (Ware). Because of his great contribution to Orthodoxy in Kenya, Patriarch Theodore declared Metropolitan of Nairobi Makarios “Exarch of Kenya and all of East Africa”, presenting him with the corresponding patriarchal sigil.
In his address, Metropolitan Makarios welcomed Patriarch Theodore also spoke about the challenges of the time, condemning the invasion of the ROC into the Patriarchate of Alexandria – an illegal act and uncanonical behavior that confuses the clergy and the faithful and threatens the unity that the patriarchate has struggled to establish for so many years in Africa.
“Just as the war between Ukraine and Russia divided the two peoples, families and even the Body of Christ, the same division is bringing the Russian Church to Africa and traumatizing the spiritual life of the Orthodox… Anyone who knows the activities of the patriarchate in Africa and especially in Kenya can testify to its great contribution and merits to the country. And just one tour of the Orthodox schools and especially the patriarchal seminary is enough to witness what has been said, not forgetting the hospitals, clinics, orphanages, etc.” Finally, Metropolitan Makariy thanked all who support the missionary work and asked the Patriarch to continue to take care of his flock, assuring him that it will resist the division, having the blessing of St. Apostle Mark and all his successors.
The Moscow Patriarchate decided to create a schism in the Patriarchate of Alexandria two years ago as an expression of revenge and punishment for the recognition of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine by the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its actions are expressed in traveling around the Alexandrian dioceses and agitating clergy to join the Russian Orthodox Church in exchange for higher pay. The Russian missionaries do not create their own parishes, but aim to break away from Orthodox communities that have been established for decades. In these actions, they also use the influence of the secular authorities in Moscow on local governments to facilitate schismatic church activity.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
