For the past three years believers in the Central African Republic have been gathering for Russian Orthodox services at Saint-Andre de Bimbo near Bangui. Patrick, 38, who converted from Roman Catholicism, said he joined because he likes the Bible teachings, prayer and spiritual guidance. “Since making this transition, I feel that a positive change is taking place in my life,” he told DW. Thirty-five-year-old Olive said she appreciates the sermons and the way people interact in the Orthodox congregation.
Although the liturgy is conducted in Russian, interpreters relay the message to worshippers. The parish is led by Father Marcel Voyemawa, a convert who formerly served in the Greek Orthodox Church and now belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been steadily expanding its presence in Africa. The Church reports some 350 parishes in more than 30 countries. In places such as South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, new worship buildings have interiors that resemble churches in Saint Petersburg rather than local religious traditions.
Experts urge caution about those figures. Regina Elsner, a Roman Catholic theologian and professor of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenism at the University of Münster, says fewer new churches have likely been established than Moscow claims, but the Church has incentives to publicize growth. She argues the Russian Orthodox Church should be seen as part of Russia’s soft power—not necessarily always acting as a state instrument, but long closely linked to government interests since the 1950s. The church has built an international footprint through parishes, structures and representation at international bodies such as the UN and EU.
Elsner notes that in Africa the Russian Orthodox presence existed for years primarily within Russian diplomatic missions but has been expanded since 2022 with its own ecclesiastical structures and the claim to be the continent’s true Orthodox authority. The Church’s advocacy for persecuted Christians has won sympathy in some African contexts, and its stance against what it frames as liberal Western colonialism resonates with those wary of Western human-rights and democracy agendas, she said—an influence that can legitimize support for a Russian role.
Historically, African Orthodox Christians fell under the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which traces back centuries and claims responsibility for all Africa. Relations shifted sharply in 2019 when Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria recognized the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine; the Russian Orthodox Church’s Synod then broke Eucharistic communion with Alexandria. That rupture opened the way for Moscow to assert its influence more directly, a move some see as tantamount to ecclesiastical annexation.
The Russian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Kirill I, is closely networked with state institutions, and observers note mutual strategic benefit with the Kremlin. Natallia Vasilevich, a Belarusian theologian and political scientist, says the expansion in Africa was driven in part by Leonid Gorbachev, who once led Moscow’s Exarchate in Africa. She links his rise to broader Russian networks on the continent, including ties around Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. According to Vasilevich, Moscow’s approach favored an aggressive strategy against the Church of Alexandria: rather than building a grassroots mission, Russian representatives sought to lure existing Orthodox priests and congregations away, sometimes by offering refuge to clergy in conflict with their bishops.
Vasilevich contends these tactics are opportunistic and harmful to African Orthodoxy. They exploit financial weakness in congregations, create tensions by shifting clergy and communities, and can be deeply destructive to local church life.
Jean-Fernand Koena in Bangui contributed to this article.
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu
