Patriarchal Exarch of Africa Metropolitan Leonid (Gorbachev) commented on the decision of the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to “refrain” from worshiping with him, and wrote that “neither this nor other decisions from outside” will affect his service to the Church.

Patriarchs Bartholomew and Theodore, the rest who were behind the non-canonical actions in Ukraine, are de facto schismatics. De jure assessment, when the time comes, will be given by the Pan-Orthodox Council or another format that will be possible to use. But even now one can clearly see with the naked eye what is happening in Orthodoxy and what decisions are being made. Many Churches are under unprecedented pressure. And the tasks set by their Western curators are the abolition of the Patriarchate in Rus’, the truncation and isolation of all Russian Orthodoxy, the abolition, as they now say in the West.

What kind of Orthodox we will remain when we go through all these crucibles of trials, only God knows. But even now every patriarch, bishop, priest, deacon, monastic and layman faces a choice. And everyone will choose for himself, because at stake is the soul and eternity, and for the hierarchy, moreover, the responsibility for the Church and people,” wrote Metropolitan Leonid.