By Konstantinos Menyktas
Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk made a direct attack on the missionary work of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and Patriarch Theodore II himself in an interview with TASS, justifying the illegal intrusion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Africa.
Metropolitan Antony specifically portrayed the Russian Exarchate as a “noble act in response to the requests of African clergy,” carefully obscuring Moscow’s blatant geopolitical maneuvering at the expense of a canonical Orthodox Church.
Russian allegations and reality
During an interview, Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk launched an attack on the Patriarchate of Alexandria, attempting to present the recognition of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine as an alleged betrayal on the part of Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria. However, in reality, the Primate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria did nothing more than comply with the decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which has the exclusive competence to grant autocephaly.
In particular, he said: “The Patriarch of Alexandria had visited both Russia and Ukraine many times in the past. In many public speeches, he swore compliance to the Holy Canons, saying that “Ukrainian schismatics” cannot be considered legitimate, canonical clergy. On the Internet, you can find a large number of videos where Patriarch Theodore talks about it, among other things, while he is in Ukraine. Just one year before the recognition of the “Ukrainian schismatics”, he visited the Odessa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under Metropolitan Onufriy, where he was warmly welcomed, and urged the faithful to remain faithful to the canonical Church.”
Metropolitan Anthony tried to justify the Russian intrusion in Africa, claiming that Moscow “respected” the canonical rights of the Patriarchate of Alexandria until 2019. “Historically, the Russian Church had several parishes on the African continent: in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and the Republic of South Africa,” he said, trying to portray the Russian presence as something self-evident. And then, in November 2019, Patriarch Theodore, by his own decision, adopted even without the consent of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, announced the recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and began to commemorate their primate (Metropolitan Epifaniy).”
“This act of Patriarch Theodore made him a man who did not remain consistent with what he had said. This impression was created not only to us, but also to a huge number of clergy under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. They understood that their Patriarch had committed treason, and they did not consider that they were facing an honest man. After a while, the Department for External Church Relations began to receive many dozens of appeals from clergy from Africa, mainly from the local population, who said that after all that happened, they did not want to be under the ‘omophorion’ of the Patriarch, who acted so dishonestly. And to ask the Patriarch of Moscow to accept them under their auspices, under their jurisdiction,” he added, accusing the Patriarch.
The “repentance” that never happened
During his interview, Metropolitan Anthony continued to accuse the Patriarch of Alexandria of “betraying” Russia for recognizing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Initially, he made an all-out attack on the Patriarch of Alexandria, saying: “Everything changed in 2019, when Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria (a.k.a. Nicholas Choreftakis) suddenly and unexpectedly, unilaterally, recognized the Ukrainian schismatics (this is how he refers to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, to which was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarchate). In particular, he said: “The Patriarch of Alexandria had visited both Russia and Ukraine many times in the past. In many public speeches, he swore compliance to the Holy Canons, saying that “Ukrainian schismatics” cannot be considered legitimate, canonical clergy.
“We could not leave these priests in such a difficult situation. However, there was still hope for a possible repentance of the Primate of Alexandria or that the Holy Synod of this ancient Church would cancel the decision taken unilaterally by the Patriarch. But since Patriarch Theodore performed a “Divine Liturgy” with the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in August 2021, there was no other choice.
According to the canons of the church, anyone who has perfomed a service with a “schismatic” becomes a schismatic himself. “We could not abandon the hundreds of clergy, along with the even greater number of parishioners who attend their parishes, without support and pastoral care,” he added.
“There was hope for repentance on the side of the Patriarch of Alexandria,” said Anthony. When this “repentance” did not happen, Russia decided to create its own “Exarchate” in Africa, presenting it as a necessary care for the “wronged” African priests and in response to the appeals of the parishioners.
What did he say about the intrusion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Africa
Metropolitan Anthony presents the “Russian Exarchate” as the “savior” of Africa, saying that the Russian Church has suddenly begun to acquire hundreds of parishes: “Therefore, it was decided to create a Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, he was appointed Patriarchal Exarch and the Russian Orthodox Church began to actively respond to the appeals. The Exarch and the responding clergy visited these parishes, engaged with the local clergy, and assessed the feasibility of accepting them into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. In December 2024, the Exarchate marked the end of its third year. The two dioceses—South Africa (spanning 24 countries) and North Africa (spanning 31 countries)—now encompass approximately 350 parishes across 32 African nations, with over 250 priests currently serving. Beyond its spiritual mission, the Exarchate has also initiated numerous humanitarian and educational projects.”
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine and relations with the Patriarchate of Antioch
Metropolitan Antony then reiterated the familiar accusation against the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, labeling its members as “schismatics.” This church, however, was granted the Tomos of Autocephaly by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who holds the sole authority to confer autocephaly.
When asked about relations with the Church of Antioch, Metropolitan Antony stated: “The Russian Church has historically maintained excellent relations with the Church of Antioch. Today, the Orthodox world, unfortunately, is in a state of division due to the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which attempt to legitimize the schism. We have common views with the Patriarchate of Antioch on the issues of inter-Orthodox relations.”
What he said about Donald Trump
When asked about the expectation that the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, will pursue a policy that promotes traditional values, Metropolitan Anthony commented:
“Watching President Donald Trump’s inauguration and listening to his speech, I observed that, from the very first hours of his leadership, he made statements emphasizing the importance of traditional moral values. Notably, he addressed the issue of biological gender distinction, which sparked strong reactions from the liberal segment of American society.
Furthermore, prior to the elections, some of Trump’s representatives voiced concerns about the state of religious freedom in Ukraine, condemning the current Kyiv regime’s policies toward the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which represents the majority of Christians in the country. I hope that the Trump administration, given its influence, will give this serious issue the necessary attention, as the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues in full view of the international community.”
