Metropolitan Pavel of Dramsky (Apostolidis), commenting on the creation of the Patriarchal Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa, said that this was “the vindictive pan-Slavism of pre-revolutionary Russia”, which “did not learn the lesson of God’s “slap in the face” during the revolution of 1917.” He said this in an interview with The National Herald.

Speaking about the creation of the Patriarchal Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa, he said that “this is the revolutionary pan-Slavism of pre-revolutionary Russia, which is returning with renewed vigor and revenge, because they do it too straightforwardly and too provocatively, relying on state forces, but they forget about the divine “slapped” during the revolution of 1917, and this shows that they did not learn their lesson well.