The Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa continues to expand its mission.
Now it has its first community in Gabon – the 23rd country in Africa where the Russian Orthodox Church is canonically present.
A “bishop,” five “priests” and two “deacons” from an uncanonical Orthodox community called “Patriarchate of Nations” have joined the Russian Orthodox Church as laymen, taking their parishes with them (over 200 people altogether).
On 14th June 2023, Rev. George Maximov, chair of the Exarchate’s Missionary Department, visited their parishes to hold pastoral meetings. Rev. Parthenios Dansou, a cleric of the Exarchate of Africa, was charged with the duty of taking pastoral care of the new community.
“‘The Patriarchate of Nations’ is a yet another fruit of activity or rather inactivity of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Africa. In 2008-2011, the Church of Alexandria tried to organise parochial life here but to no effect because there was no clergy and no divine services, and communities fell apart. Some joined Catholics, others Protestants. With the Russian Orthodox Church coming to Africa believers were offered an opportunity to embrace Orthodoxy and they welcomed it,” Metropolitan Leonid of Klin wrote in his Telegram channel.
