• African priests issue open letter about Patriarch's recognition of OCU

    From Steve Hayes@21:1/5 to All on Wed Dec 18 14:05:01 2019
    XPost: alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox, soc.culture.russian

    African priests issue open letter about Patriarch’s recognition of OCU

    Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, December 17, 2019

    A number of African priests of the Patriarchate of Alexandria have
    issued an open letter regarding the recent decision by their
    Patriarch, Theodoros II of Alexandria, to recognize the schismatic
    “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and to commemorate its primate, Epiphany Dumenko, in the Divine services.

    The priests note that while the majority of the clergy and laity of
    the Patriarchate are Africans, their opinion on the matter was never
    sought and thus not taken into account.

    The letter is signed by 27 priests from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and
    Zambia who are saddened by the decision of their Patriarch and pray
    that it will be reconsidered.

    OrthoChristian received the open letter via email, with the message,
    “Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, with respect and humility, we
    are very happy to write you to explain our opinion and our decision as
    a canonical Church and priests in Africa.”

    The letter reads in full:

    An Open Letter of Orthodox African Priests

    It was with great surprise and embarrassment that we, Orthodox African
    priests, learned about the decision of Patriarch Theodoros II of
    Alexandria to recognize the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”

    This sudden decision is the opposite of the position previously held
    by our Patriarch, and it jeopardizes the good relations of our Church
    with the Russian Orthodox Church that have developed in recent
    decades. In addition, the recognition of yesterday’s Ukrainian
    schismatics is criticized in many Local Churches, and means a break
    with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to which most Orthodox
    Ukrainians belong.

    As far as we know, such a decision was made without asking the opinion
    of the African clergy, although it is the Africans who make up the
    majority of clergy and parishioners of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

    We would like to express our opinion and say that we do not agree with
    the above decision. We respect our Patriarch and obey our bishops,
    but, just as many priests and even bishops in the Church of Greece
    expressed their disagreement with a similar decision on the
    recognition of Ukrainian schismatics, we believe that we have no less
    of a right to express our opinion.

    We regret the unexpected decision of the Patriarch of Alexandria and
    we would like to see it revised.

    Rev. Fr. Agapios Omukuba, Kenya
    Rev. Fr. Ambrose Chavala, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Anastasios Andrea, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Antipas Odhiam, Kenya
    Rev. Fr. Athanasios Oruk, Uganda
    Rev. Fr. Athanasios Rukamunuga, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Augustinus Batalingaya, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Barnabas Woasim, Zambia
    Rev. Fr. Barnabas Kalumuna, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Bartholomew Mapalala, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Charalambos Ocen, Uganda
    Rev. Fr. Chrysostomos Sospeter, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Constantine Shoki, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. David Lakwo, Uganda
    Rev. Fr. Eleftherios Nchunguye, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Eliakim Kulali, Kenya
    Rev. Fr. Johannes Asonga, Kenya
    Rev. Fr. John Jacob, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Laurent Sakwa, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Marcos Rugemalira, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Paul Kagoma, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Hieromonk Philaretos (Kimaro), Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Petros Theophanos, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Polycarpos Uchenja, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Stephen Rushenya, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Theodoros Mutabazi, Tanzania
    Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Zacharia (Enock), Tanzania

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  • From Steve Hayes@21:1/5 to hayesstw@telkomsa.net on Fri Dec 27 04:05:02 2019
    XPost: alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox, soc.culture.russian

    On Wed, 18 Dec 2019 14:05:01 +0200, Steve Hayes
    <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    African priests issue open letter about Patriarch’s recognition of OCU

    Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, December 17, 2019

    A number of African priests of the Patriarchate of Alexandria have
    issued an open letter regarding the recent decision by their
    Patriarch, Theodoros II of Alexandria, to recognize the schismatic >“Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and to commemorate its primate, Epiphany >Dumenko, in the Divine services.

    Name of Patriarch of Alexandria was removed from Diptychs of Moscow Patriarchate

    Dec 26, 2019 | 19:26 in FrontPage, Patriarchate of Moscow

    During the meeting of the Holy Synod, chaired by Patriarch Kirill, the
    Moscow Patriarchate decided to sever full communion with the
    Patriarchate of Alexandria by removing the name of the Patriarch of
    Alexandria from its Diptychs. The main reasons were the recognition of
    the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the commemoration of Metropolitan
    Epiphaniy by Patriarch Theodore.

    According to Moscow Patriarchate’s spokesman, Vladimir Legoida, the
    Moscow Patriarchate severed full communion with the Head of the Church
    of Alexandria but it remains in full communion with the Metropolitans
    of Alexandria who did not agree with Patriarch Theodore and did not
    recognise the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He added that the Moscow
    Patriarchate had not severed full communion with the Archbishop of
    Athens and the Metropolitans of the Church of Greece either.

    Vladimir Legoida said that the actions taken by the Patriarch of
    Alexandria were not canonical because he recognised the Church of
    Ukraine even though the Hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
    had never voted for such a decision.

    He also argued, “The decision of the Patriarch of Alexandria to
    recognise the schismatic Church of Ukraine runs counter to his
    previous statements according to which he would recognise the
    canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv
    and all Ukraine. In addition, such a statement was made by the
    Patriarch of Alexandria when he visited the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
    from September 27 to October 1, 2018, three weeks after the intrusion
    of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine through the
    appointment of an Exarch in Kyiv.”

    During the meeting, the Moscow Patriarchate also decided to abolish
    the Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Moscow and convert
    the Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate in Alexandria into a Russian
    church. In addition, the Moscow Patriarchate decided to withdraw from
    the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria the parishes of the
    Russian Church located on the African continent and to make them
    stauropegic monasteries.

    Source: https://t.co/xrF4X3ZFVL?amp=1



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