First Years of Activity of the Patriarchial Exarchate of Africa of the Russian Orthodox Church

The decision to establish the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa in 2021 was of a historical nature and caused wide discussions in the scientific and public environment. In this article, on the basis of unique materials of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), as well as those from the personal archive of the author, the prehistory and the first years of the establishment of the Exarchate are shown. For the first time, a number of documents, statistical and factual data on the first years of the existence of this organization are introduced into academic discourse. Readers are presented with the history of the Russian ecclesiastical presence on the African continent, beginning in 1885, when an attempt was made to establish a spiritual mission in Ethiopia, and the creation of parishes in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco in the context of Russian emigration after the revolution of 1917, as well as in other countries of the continent. The author reveals the background of the decision to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church located on the African continent, as well as the reaction to it. The historical context of the decision to establish the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa in 2021 is also given and the first years of its functioning are shown. The article provides a detailed chronology of the ROC’s expansion in Africa in 2022–2024. The appendices to the publication include appeals from African clerics, as well as Russians living in Africa, asking to be accepted into the fold of the ROC. Overall, the article presents a comprehensive history of the ROC’s activities in Africa over the past three years.