The Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) talks about a “new schism” that threatens the Orthodox Church in Africa on the occasion of the competitions between the Patriarchates of Moscow and Alexandria.
He warns that “the controversy over Ukraine is straining relations between the Eastern Churches.” Among other things, we read: “Shortly before Christmas, there was a serious rupture within the Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate decided to establish Exarchates in Africa, under the jurisdiction of the sister Church based in Alexandria. “This is a clear blow to the Patriarch of Alexandria, Theodore II (photo), who in the Ukraine conflict had sided with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, agreeing to the recognition of the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”
According to the Zurich newspaper, “Theodoros is now called upon to pay the bill. Moscow is creating parallel ecclesiastical structures in Africa. This is deplorable. It undermines the credibility of Orthodoxy, not just in Africa. In addition, the incident proves that the dispute over Ukraine has serious consequences for Russia’s relations with the West. And not just in geopolitical terms. “The ties between the Eastern Churches, which perceive themselves as sister Churches, are also threatened.”
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DW – Giannis Papadimitriou
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