The regular monthly sessions of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa concluded on Thursday at the historic St. George Monastery of Cairo, held under the chairmanship of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude Theodoros II.
As reported throughout the week, members of the Holy Synod focused on what the Alexandrian Patriarchate has condemned as an “intrusion” into its ecclesiastical jurisdiction by the Moscow Patriarchate.
A day earlier, the Holy Synod announced that the Alexandrian Patriarchate and His Beatitude Theodoros will cease commemorating, in liturgies, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa will also suspend all communication with the latter, until the intrusion ceases and all representatives of the non-canonical Exarchate are recalled.
A first reaction by the Moscow Patriarchate to the decisions by the second, in rank, Patriarchate of Alexandria came from the Metropolitan of Klin Leonid, who was defrocked this week, by a decision of the Holy Synod of the latter Church, for canonical violations.
In statements made to Russia media, Metropolitan Leonid claimed that the Church of Alexandria cannot defrock him, while also asserted that the suspension of the commemoration of His Holiness Kirill by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa means a suspension of fraternal relations between the two Orthodox Churches.
