Today, November 22, 2022, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria convened under the Presidency of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II, in the Katholikon of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George in Old Cairo.
The start of the deliberations was announced by His Beatitude, who addressed the Synodal Hierarchs, emphasizing among other things the symbolism of convening the work of the Holy Synod in the same sacred space, where many of his venerable Predecessors lie at rest, who fought for the defense of the unity and of the rights of the ancient Patriarchal Throne.
His Eminence, Elder Gabriel of Leontopolis, Patriarchal Vicar General, addressed His Beatitude on behalf of Their Eminences and Their Graces the Hierarchs.
His Beatitude then informed the Holy Synod at length about the work he accomplished during the past period of time, from January this year to date, in all areas of his Patriarchal ministry.
Subsequently, the Holy Synod dealt extensively and analytically with the issue of the illegal entry of the Church of Russia into the spiritual and pastoral jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria on the continent of Africa, under the coordination of the so-called “Patriarchal Exarch of Africa” of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Leonid Gorbachev of Klin.
After a dialogical discussion, the Holy Synod proceeded to defrocking of the former Metropolitan Leonid of Klin from the noble ministry of the Hierarchy for a series of Canonical offenses (infiltration into the jurisdiction of the ancient Church, establishment of antimensia, distribution of holy Myrrh, acquisition of local clergy by payments, even defrocked oneσ, factionalism and ethnic tribalism, etc), and he condemned the new ecclesiastical-political “theories” of spreading the Russian world around the globe on the basis of nationality.
Finally, following the many months of total disregard and silence of Patriarch Kyril of Moscow, of the written protests of His Beatitude the Pope and the Patriarch of Alexandria to him, regarding the revocation of his northern “Exarchic” bodies from Africa, the commemoration of the name of the Patriarch of Moscow by the Primate of the Alexandrian Church, is stopped indefinitely.
The deliberations of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria will continue tomorrow, 23rd November 2022.
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy Synod
