Russia intends to build Orthodox churches in Africa and Southeast Asia, expanding its spiritual presence in friendly countries, according to Gennady Askaldovich, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Special Representative for Cooperation in Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Religion and Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In an interview with Sputnik, the diplomat noted that Orthodoxy is the bearer of Russia’s "institutional memory" and that the country hopes that the foundations of its perception of the world can be distributed in different regions.
"As far as we know, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has always been interested in the African continent – there was always a positive attitude towards our country and there are considerable communities of our compatriots," Askaldovich underlined.
He noted that ROC's work in Africa has become "more focused and concrete" after the African Patriarchal Exarchate of the ROC was created in late 2021.
The exarchate was established after the ROC broke communion with the Patriarchate of Alexandria in response to the 2019 recognition of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) by Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria. In December 2021, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to admit 102 African clerics of the Patriarchate of Alexandria – who did not support the recognition of the OCU – to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Since then, the ROC has been developing the exarchate, led by Metropolitan Leonid of Klin.
"As far as we know, the ROC is currently training clergy for Orthodox parishes in Africa on the basis of the Sretensky Theological Academy," the diplomat said.
According to Askaldovich, the Foreign Ministry assists the Russian Orthodox Church in the legal registration of the rights to religious activities abroad, as well as in solving a number of organizational issues, and plans to provide information, consulting and other support for church construction projects.
Earlier, in December 2022, Metropolitan Leonid announced the ROC's plans to make Uganda one of its "strongholds" and to construct schools, hospitals and a religious center in the country.