They found themselves abandoned: in Nigeria, two communities of the Alexandrian Patriarchate asked to join the Russian Orthodox Churchtranslated

Believers of two communities of the Alexandrian Patriarchate in the African state of Nigeria asked to be accepted into the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This happened on October 2, 2026, at a meeting of believers with the chairman of the Missionary Department of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, Priest Georgiy Maximov, and the dean of parishes in Nigeria, Priest Daniil Agbaza, according to the website of the Patriarchal Exarchate.

“Local parishioners complained that they were abandoned by the Greek Church, and Priest George told them about the history and canonical reasons for the beginning of the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa,” the report said.

It is clarified that after the conversation, the parishioners signed collective letters addressed to the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan of Cairo and North Africa Constantine, with a request to be accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church.

Let us recall that by decision of December 29, 2021, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to establish the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa consisting of two dioceses: North African and South African.

The decision to form the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa was made due to the fact that at that time there were 100 parishes of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, headed by their abbots...