He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church before converting to the Russian Orthodox Church. He was formerly a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church and has since joined the Russian Orthodox Church. "In Africa, the Russian Orthodox Church has been present for many years, primarily within Russian diplomatic missions," Elsner said. The expansion of the Russian Orthodox faith competes with the Greek Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt. The Russian Orthodox Church, led by Kirill I, represents Russian ideology abroad; government ministries are closely networked with the church, and Vladimir Putin's government benefits strategically from this.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 18, 2026 16:22 UTC