Metropolitan Chrysostomos, bishop of Bukoba and Western Tanzania, authorized representative of the patriarch in Rwanda, in his oped entitled “Crime of the Russian Church in Rwanda” explained the consequences of the Russian invasion of Africa, Orthodoxia reports.
The intrusion of the Russian Church into the missionary activities of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa dealt a great blow to the unity of the Orthodox Church on the Black Continent. Rwanda is among the Local Churches that have suffered from the destructive invasion and actions of the Russian Exarchate.
“Many local churches of the Alexandria Patriarchate suffered from the invasion of the Russian Church with serious consequences. And perhaps because other churches are large in large countries, the effects are not visible. But the invasion of the newly established Orthodox Church of Rwanda is painful.
The mission was launched in 2012 by the respected former bishop of Burundi and Rwanda, Kyr Innocent.
The senior bishop, who has two states under his jurisdiction, made a lot of efforts to root Orthodoxy in this troubled country.
In recent years, he has gained many followers from Greece, such as Fr. George Schinas, as well as clergy and laity from Romania and neighboring Congo. The organization “Christ in Africa” from Romania helps with volunteers and financially. Clergy from Romania settled there and help effectively by building churches and doing missionary work.
New priests were ordained and Orthodoxy came to Rwanda.
And while this new Church tried to survive, the wild flow of the “Russian World” turned this little Church into ruins.
The senior cleric recalled that a large-scale genocide took place in Rwanda, but 30 years on, it has become a very developed country. Orthodoxy in this country was started in 2012 by the then Metropolitan of Burundi and Rwanda Innocent.
