The Shameful Oath the African Clergy Have Made to the Patriarchate of Moscow

The Russian invasion of the Patriarchate of Alexandria under the pretext that about 100 clergy in Africa want to belong to Moscow, has also produced … oaths!

We quote an "Oath" signed by these clergymen, who declare that they are joining "voluntarily" with Moscow without any "personal financial gain", but with the "sole purpose" of saving their soul which is in "spiritual danger" from the moment the Patriarchate of Alexandria recognized the Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine, which for Moscow is still a "schism".

Explanations and Clarifications of Ecclesiastical History and the Deontology of the Ukrainian Issue (Part 7)

...continued from part six.

* As is confessed by the Bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria (Nikephoros of Kinshasa), the Russians in various African countries are seeking the right of Russian priests to liturgize in the Russian Embassies of Africa. This is a stark demonstration of unbridled hegemonism and expansionism. They achieved the authorization of the Patriarch of Alexandria for a few countries of Africa, something like exarchies, and now they want to expand more, something like a Super-Patriarchate!

It seems that they succeeded in Cyprus, with the authorization of the Church of Cyprus, they spread even into occupied Cyprus, even though they solemnly lie and deny any connection with some Russian missions of clergy to the land of occupied Cyprus. However, they also have a relationship and they promote the action of such groups on Cypriot soil.

Chapel of Saint Sophronios of Jerusalem in Leros

 

In Alinda on the Greek island of Leros is a neoclassical mansion known as the "Patriatchate", which today is the seaside residence of the Metropolitan of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalea. It was reconstructed about fifteen years ago after lying as an abandoned ruin for many years. Now, apart from the Archbishop's residence and office, it's also a conference center, with lovely views all around.

Its nickname is due to the notorious Patriarch of Alexandria Sophronios IV who used the original building as a summer home. Patriarch Sophronios served the Patriarchate of Alexandria from 1870 to his death in 1899, after having been Patriarch of Constantinople from 1863 to 1866. His tenure as Patriarch of Alexandria was tainted by the unfair expulsion of the Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo, Metropolitan Nektarios Kephalas of Pentapolis, whom the Church elevated to Sainthood following his death. Under the patronage of Patriarch Sophronios IV of Alexandria, Nektarios went to Athens to study in 1882; completing his theological studies in 1885, he went to Alexandria, where Patriarch Sophronios ordained him priest on March 23, 1886.

Holy Martyrs Who Died in the Great Plague in Alexandria

The Plague in Rome, Jules Elie Delaunay. Art: Minneapolis Institute of Art

According to the Roman Martyrology under February 28th, there is a mention for the commemoration of the following Holy Martyrs:

"In Alexandria, in the reign of the emperor Valerian, the commemoration of the holy priests, deacons, and other Christians in great number, who encountered death most willingly by nursing the victims of a most deadly pestilence then raging. They have been generally revered as martyrs by the pious faithful."

In other words, these Christian victims of this pandemic are considered martyrs, out of their selfless love for others, putting themselves in harms way in order to help others in their time of need, and in order for others to not face death alone in their suffering.

Patriarch of Alexandria Performs the Divine Liturgy of Saint Mark at the Tomb of Saints Gabriel and Kyrmidoles and Blesses the Nile River

 

 

On October 18th, to celebrate the feasts of the Holy and Glorious New Martyrs Gabriel and Kyrmidoles, Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa performed the Divine Liturgy of Saint Mark the Evangelist at the Patriarchal Monastery of Saint George in Old Cairo, where the tomb of the New Martyrs is located.

This Divine Liturgy belongs to the ancient Alexandrian tradition and is inextricably linked to the history of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, with important Byzantine influences over time, and its composition is attributed to the Apostle Mark, who founded the Church of Alexandria.

The First Church Dedicated to Saint Gregory Palladas

Saint Gregory Palladas served as Patriarch of Alexandria for 22 years until 20 January 1710, when he retired due to illness to the Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos, where he reposed in peace on 15 January 1714. There his skull is kept as one of the monastery's most precious treasures. On 17 September 2002 he was canonized by the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and a Divine Office was composed for him by the current Metropolitan of Rhodes, Kyrillos Kogerakis.

Saint Arsenios, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 1010)

St. Arsenios of Alexandria (Feast Day - July 11)

Arsenios was the brother of the wife of the Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz (975-996), which greatly contributed to the ecclesiastical career of both Arsenios himself, who became the Metropolitan of Memphis, and his brother Orestes, who became the Patriarch of Jerusalem in 986.

After the death of Patriarch Elias II of Alexandria, upon the direct instructions of Caliph al-Hakim (996-1021), the son and successor of al-Aziz, Arsenios was elevated to be the Patriarch of Alexandria on June 17, 1000.

Taking advantage of the location of the ruling dynasty, the Brother-Patriarchs achieved "primacy" among the non-Muslim confessions of Egypt. After the death of Orestes in 1005, Patriarch Arsenios also took over the administration of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, thus concentrating power over the entire Orthodox community of the Fatimid caliphate.

Saint Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 326)

St. Alexander of Alexandria (Feast Day - May 29)

Verses

I reverence the august end of Alexander,
I know as august Alexander the Pope.

Little is known of Alexander’s early life. He is thought to have been born about the year 250, probably in Alexandria. As a priest he experienced the persecutions of Christians under the emperors Galerius and Maximinus. Upon the repose of Archbishop Achillas of Alexandria in 313, he came to lead the Church of Alexandria as the thirteenth Pope in succession since the Apostle Mark.

Alexander was faced with three significant issues upon his elevation. These were the dating of Pascha, the efforts of Meletius of Lycopolis to undermine him, and Arianism.

A schismatic sect, led by Erescentius, disputed the timing of the date for Pascha. While the controversy was not fully settled until the decision of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325, Alexander prepared a special treatise that defused the issue until the Synodal decision in which he cited the earlier statements of Dionysius on the matter.

The Forty-Five Paschal Letters of Athanasius the Great

The Festal Letters or Paschal Letters are a series of annual letters by which the Archbishops of Alexandria, in conformity with a decision of the First Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea, announced the date on which Easter was to be celebrated. The Synod chose Alexandria because of its famous school of astronomy, and the date of Easter depends on the spring equinox and the phases of the moon.

Synaxarion of Saint Gregory the Confessor, Pope of Alexandria

St. Gregory the Confessor of Alexandria (Feast Day - November 5)

Verses

How unrewarded with discourses,
Is he who swiftly runs, as the eye of Orthodoxy?

Because this Saint loved Christ from a young age, he adorned himself with all the virtues. Therefore after the death of the holy Pope of Alexandria, he was ordained by divine Providence as Bishop of Alexandria, from among the Bishops of Alexandria, with the agreement of the pious people. In this way he became an exact teacher of Orthodoxy, as well as of virtuous conduct according to God. The renowned one taught virtue more by his deeds than with words. Hence he was meek, humble, merciful, wise, the father of orphans, the protector of widows, the guide of those in error, the physician of the sick and the consolation of those who grieve. Thus all the people rejoiced and were glad for this Saint.

Saint John the Merciful Resource Page

St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria (Feast Day - November 12)

Verses

John distributed and gave to the hungry,

Which was received by Christ who stood beside them.

The Merciful departed on the twelfth without anything.

 

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria

  

Saint John the Merciful as a Model for our Lives

 

November: Day 12: Saint John the Merciful

 

"Whoever is Kind to the Poor Lends to the Lord": The Simple Faith of Saint John the Merciful

On Giving Without Discrimination: The Example of St. John the Merciful

 

St. John the Merciful on the Judgements of God and the Judgements of Men

 

The Holy Martyrs Cyrus and John in the "Life of Saint John the Merciful"

 

St. John the Merciful and the Conversion of Homosexuals

 

We Ought Never Commune From Heretics (St. John the Merciful)

 

The Leniency of God's Mercy

 

 

Holy Hieromartyr Dionysios, Bishop of Alexandria (+ 265)

St. Dionysios of Alexandria (Feast Day - October 3)

Verses

Dionysios and his fellow eight contestants,
From the darkness below were transpositioned to a place inhabited by light.

Much of the information about his life comes from the extensive correspondence he maintained during his life that survived in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius. Dionysios was born about the year 190 in Alexandria to a pagan family of wealth, and he was well read. After a divine vision instructing him to do so, he studied in depth the traditions of the heretics after becoming a Christian at a mature age in order to be able to refute them. Dionysios joined the Catechetical School of Alexandria where he became a student of Origen and Heraklas. In 232, as Heraklas became the Bishop of Alexandria, Dionysios, now a priest, succeeded him as leader of the school.

Saint Cyril Loukaris Resource Page

St. Cyril Loukaris (Feast Day - June 27)

Verses

The sacrificer of the Lord is sacrificed,

Strangled by the madness of the descendants of Hagar.

On the twenty-seventh Cyril victoriously ventured to heaven.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Cyril Loukaris 

 

Saint Cyril Loukaris, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 1638) 

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris (1 of 5) 

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris (2 of 5) 

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris (3 of 5) 

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris (4 of 5) 

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris (5 of 5) 

 

Kontakion and Oikos to Saint Cyril Loukaris 

 

The Myth of the "Calvinist Patriarch" 

 

Cyril Loukaris Versus the World 

 

Why Saint Cyril Loukaris Established the First Greek Printing Press in Constantinople

 

Cyril Loukaris and the Codex Alexandrinus 

  

Book Review: "Protestant Patriarch: The Life of Cyril Lucaris (1572-1638); Patriarch of Constantinople" 

 

Patriarchs of Constantinople Killed Under the Turks 

 

Podgoria Copou Monastery in Iasi, Romania

 

Hieromartyr Cyril Loukaris Celebrated By Patriarchate of Alexandria

 

Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Canonizes Two Former Ecumenical Patriarchs: Cyril I Loukaris of Crete and Cyril VI of Thrace

 

Why the Orthodox Church Considers Cyril Loukaris an Orthodox Saint and Not a Calvinist

Saint Meletios Pegas, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 1601)

  

Synaxis of All Saints of Rhodes 

  

Synaxis of All Saints of the Dodecanese 

 

Saint Eugenios the Aitolos (+ 1682) 

 

Holy New Hieromartyr Parthenios III, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 1657) 

 

Saint John the Stranger, Enlightener of Crete (+ 1031) 

 

St. John the Hermit and the 98 Fathers of Crete

Synaxarion for the Translation of the Relic of Saint Athanasius the Great

On the second of this month [May], we commemorate the translation of the relic of our Holy Father Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria.

Verses

Athanasius where are you escorted? May it not be
That even dead are you sent away in exile?
On the second Athanasius was stripped of his corpse in the sepulcher.

Our Holy Father Athanasius lived an angelic life on this earth. The struggles this man who is worthy of blessings faced on behalf of the Orthodox faith, and the battles and resistance he made against the heretics, with the continuous and unjust exiles he endured, and the slanders and vain criticisms he received from the cacodox, all these things, I say, have been narrated in other histories, though the most lengthy is by Gregory the Theologian. Therefore I, not wanting to narrate all things here referred to by historians, will briefly say a few things to consider.

Holy Apostle Mark the Evangelist

St. Mark the Evangelist (Feast Day - April 25 or Bright Wednesday)

Verses

The bloodthirsty dragged Mark along the ground,
Sending to the heavens him who they did not recognize.
On the twenty-fifth the senseless ones dragged Mark along the ground.

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark was a Jew by birth, of the tribe of Levi. His Hebrew name was John, but attached his Latin name Mark to it when he joined the Apostle Peter to preach the gospel in Rome. He is considered one of the Seventy Apostles of the Lord by Origen and Saint Epiphanios of Salamis.

Holy Hieromartyr Proterios, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 457)

St. Proterios of Alexandria (Feast Day - February 28)

Verses

Proterios is slain by reeds,
Who sharply wrote with a reed against error.

Saint Proterius lived in Alexandria during the patriarchal tenure of Dioscorus (444-451), an adherent of the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches. Proterios fearlessly denounced the heretics and confessed the Orthodox faith.

Saint Eulogios of Alexandria as a Model for our Lives

St. Eulogios of Alexandria (Feast Day - February 13)

By Archimandrite Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Eulogios, Archbishop of Alexandria, was from Syria and served in Antioch as Presbyter and as Abbot of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. He lived from the mid-sixth to early seventh century, during the reigns of Emperors Tiberius I the Thracian (578-582), Maurice (582-602) and Phokas (602-610). He came to the throne of the Church of Alexandria in 571, according to others in 579, and served as hierarch until 607. He was the predecessor of Saint John the Merciful. Not only did he perform many miracles after his repose, but also while he lived. When Saint Leo, Pope of Rome, sent his legendary epistle of Orthodoxy to the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, which had gathered in Chalcedon, Saint Eulogios praised it and proclaimed everywhere the content of the epistle. Then an Angel of the Lord appeared to Saint Eulogios in the form of the Archdeacon of Pope Leo, who thanked him for accepting the content of the epistle. The Saint thought he was conversing with the Archdeacon, however, when the Angel disappeared in front of him, then he realized what took place and glorified God. At the moment he thanked and glorified God he delivered to Him his holy soul.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria Resource Page

St. Cyril of Alexandria (Feast Days - January 18 & June 9)

Verses

Cyril died the Pope of Alexandria,
Departing to the Lord Who is the Lord of all.
On the ninth Cyril found the day of the grave.

About

Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria

A Profile of Saint Cyril of Alexandria

Synaxarion of Saints Athanasius and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria

Saint Cyril of Alexandria as a Model for our Lives

June: Day 9: Teaching 1: Saint Cyril of Alexandria

The Reconciliation Between St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. John Chrysostom 

 

The Method By Which St. Cyril of Alexandria Corrected a Theological Error of a Holy Elder 

 

The Discovery of the Relics of Sts. Cyrus and John 

 

Saint Cyril of Alexandria Heals a Paralyzed Girl from Germany

 

Homilies on the Gospel of Luke

 

Sermon on the Nativity of Christ (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Discourse on the Birth of our Savior in the Flesh (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Sermon on the Circumcision of Christ (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Homily on the Reception of Christ in the Temple (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on Saint John the Baptist (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on the Baptism of Christ (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

How The Lord Chose His Twelve Apostles (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

First Homily on the Seventy Apostles of the Lord (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Second Homily on the Seventy Apostles of the Lord (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on Rejoicing in the Destruction of the Ungodly (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Parable of the Sower (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Sermon on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Two Sermons on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (St. Cyril of Alexandria

 

Sermon on the Parable of the Rich Fool (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Two Sermons on the Rich Young Ruler (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Healing of the Gadarene Demoniac (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Sermon on the Healing of the Son of the Widow from Nain (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Sermons on the Healing of the Woman With the Issue of Blood and the Raising of Jairus' Daughter (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Sermon on the Healing of the Blind Beggar of Jericho (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Healing of the Crippled Woman on the Sabbath (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Parable of the Great Banquet (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Healing of the Ten Lepers (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Sermon on the Sunday of Zacchaeus (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on the Publican and Pharisee (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on the Prodigal Son (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

A Prophetic Exegesis of the Healing of the Paralytic 

 

Homily on the Transfiguration of Christ (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily on Mary and Martha (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Commentary on the Gospel Reading for the First Sunday of Great Lent (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily for Palm Sunday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Homily for Holy Wednesday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

First Homily for Holy Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Second Homily for Holy Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Third, Fourth and Fifth Homilies for Holy Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Sixth and Seventh Homily for Holy Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Eighth Homily for Holy Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

First and Second Homily for Holy Friday (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Third Homily for Holy Friday (St. Cyril of Alexandria)  

Fourth Homily for Holy Friday (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Fifth Homily for Holy Friday (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

The Death of Christ, A New Pathway to Life (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Why Did It Become Dark When Christ Was Crucified?

 

On the Myrrhbearing Women (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Excerpts from the Sermon for the First Sunday of Luke (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Excerpts from the Sermon for the Second Sunday of Luke (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

 

Commentary on the Gospel of John 

 

What the Healing of the Man Blind from Birth by Jesus Signifies (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:1 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:2 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:3 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

"That They May Be One, Even As We Are" (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Why Did the Jews Who Came To Arrest Jesus Fall to the Ground When They Approached Him?

What Does It Mean That Christ Became a Curse For Us on the Cross?

What Did the Crucified Christ Mean When He Said "It Is Finished"?

Concerning the Burial of the Lord (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Why Did The Lord Forbid Mary Magdalene From Touching Him After His Resurrection?

How Were the Disciples Able to Touch Jesus After the Resurrection When Mary Magdalene Could Not?

The First Miracle After the Lord's Resurrection - Entering a Room With Shut Doors

Commentary on the Gospel for Thomas Sunday (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Saint Cyril of Alexandria on the Ascension of the Lord


Commentary on the Prophet Joel

Preface to the Commentary on the Prophet Joel (St. Cyril of Alexandria)


Commentary on the Prophet Obadiah

Preface to the Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Obadiah (St. Cyril of Alexandria)


Fragments

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (St. Cyril of Alexandria)


Cyril and the Third and Fourth Ecumenical Synod

The Basis of the Acceptance of the Tome of Leo (Fr. John Romanides)

On So-Called Neo-Chalcedonianism (Fr. John Romanides)


Cyril and Hypatia

Hypatia's Murder and the Innocence of Saint Cyril

AGORA: A Film About Hypatia of Alexandria

Historical Inaccuracies of the Movie "AGORA"

AGORA: An Atheistic Propaganda Piece Serving An Atheistic Agenda


Studies

A Dissertation On Cyril of Alexandria's Views On the Law of Moses

Holy Hieromartyr Theodore, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 609)

St. Theodore of Alexandria (Feast Day - December 3)

Verses

Theodore is great among the Patriarchs,

And great among the athletes by the sword.

The Chronicon Paschale says that in the year 609, the Patriarch of Alexandria "was slain by his enemies." This is Patriarch Theodore I, who had come to the throne in 607. The historical records are silent as to who these enemies were, but it was during the revolt of Nicetas, and assumed to have been the Monophysites of Egypt.

Holy Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria

St. Peter of Alexandria (Feast Day - November 24)

Verses

Unshakable was the faith of the beheaded Peter,

Who saw Christ with a rent tunic.

The Holy Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born and raised at Alexandria. He was a highly educated man, and was head of the School of Alexandria. In the year 300 he became the Archbishop of the Alexandrian Church, succeeding his teacher and spiritual guide, the holy Archbishop Theonas.