Leonid, Mitropolit Klinski

General Biographical Information 

• Leonid, in his civilian life – Leonid Gorbachev, was born on October 26, 1968 in Stavropol, RSFSR, USSR. In 1970, his family moved to Krasnodar Krai.
• In 1985, he finished secondary school.
• From 1986 to 1988, he served in the Soviet Army.
• From 1989 to 1992 he got theological education at the Leningrad Theological Seminary.
• From 1998 to 2002, he studied at the Faculty of Theology at Athens State University.
• On September 20, 2018, he was awarded the Medal - „the 10th Anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War by South Ossetians“.
• He speaks Greek and English languages, as well the Egyptian dialect of the Arabic language.

Clerical Career

• On April 8, 1990, he was ordained as a deacon.
• On June 18, 1990, Bishop Isidore ordained him as a monk and on October 8, he became a priest.
• From 1990 to 1997, he worked at the Ekaterinodar Cathedral in Krasnodar.
• In 1997, he continued his work in Moscow, in the Synod’s Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Structures.
• In 1998, he was sent on a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a paratrooper brigade of the limited peacekeeping forces there.
• From 2002, he was an employee of the Secretariat for Internal Relations between Orthodox Christians of the Department for External Church Connections of Moscow Patriarchate.
• In 2003-2004, he was an employee of the Russian spiritual mission to Jerusalem.
• From December 2004, he was the representative of Moscow Patriarchate to the Patriarch of Alexandria and whole Africa. During his work in Egypt in 2010, he became an Archimandrite.
• In June 2013, he was ordained as a Bishop.
• In 2013, he became the Bishop of Argentina and South America.
• In 2013, he was removed as a representative of Moscow Patriarchate to the Patriarch of Alexandria and whole Africa.
• On June 3, 2016, with the decision of the Holy Synod, he became the Archbishop of the Diocese of Vladikavkaz and Alania. On December 27, 2016, he also became the Leader of the Russian Orthodox Church parish in Armenia.
• Leonid replaced Bishop Zosime, who had frequent contacts with the de facto leader of Tskhinvali region, Leonid Tibilov. In his own right, Tibilov also frequently participated in religious events in North Ossetia.
• On December 4, 2017, he was ordained as Archbishop.
• On October 17, 2019, at the extraordinary meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, held at the Danilov Monastery, Moscow, Metropolitan Ilarion Alfeev, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, addressed with a report on the need to have another deputy. Upon the Holy Synod decision Leonid was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations.
• On September 23-24, 2021, by a decision of the Holy Synod, Leonid was relieved from the administration the Diocese of Vladikavkaz and Alania; however, he retained the post of the Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Leonid was appointed as Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and was awarded with the title of Archbishop of Klinsky. On October 15, 2021, with the decision of the Holy Synod, he became the archbishop of the Diocese of Yerevan and Armenia.
• On December 29, 2021, Leonid was appointed as Patriarchal Exarch of Africa.
• On January 7, 2022, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.
• On October 11, 2023, Leonid was released from the position of Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.

Relations with Tskhinvali Region

• A month after his appointment to the Eparchy, Leonid visited Tskhinvali. During his very first visit, the issue of the construction of an Orthodox chapel in Tskhinvali was discussed. According to Leonid’s statement, the chapel will be built in a Byzantine style and the St. Andrew Foundation will fund it. The possibility of building a chapel was even being discussed by Leonid’s predecessor, Zosime, back in July 2015 with the de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, Leonid Tibilov.
• On September 15, 2016, Leonid stated about the creation of a joint North and “South Ossetian” eparchy that “nothing is impossible for god”. He made the statement three months after his appointment to the Eparchy at his first press-conference in Vladikavkaz. According to his statement “despite the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church practically does not officially operate in South Ossetia at all, the Vladikavkaz Eparchy has been participating and will continue to participate in the lives of South Ossetian Orthodox Christians. For example, chapel is being built in South Ossetia, which is being financed by the St. Andrew Foundation.
• On July 25, 2017, the de facto President of Tskhinvali region, Anatoly Bibilov, met with the Patriarch of Russia in Moscow. Leonid and the de facto Ambassador of Tskhinvali Region to Russia, Znaur Gasiev, also participated in the meeting. This was Tibilov’s first meeting with the Patriarch of Russia, after his victory in the illegitimate Presidential elections in Tskhinvali Region. The religious situation in Tskhinvali Region was discussed during the meeting.
• On August 29, 2017, Leonid visited Tskhinvali region and met with the de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov. The issue of the construction of the Russian Orthodox chapel in Tskhinvali was discussed during the meeting. The construction started in 2016. According to Leonid’s statement “the chapel will exist at the 58th Army. Russian military service members, border guards and employees of the Embassy will go to there. The chapel’s doors, will, of course, also be open to the population of South Ossetia”.
• On February 27, 2018, in Tskhinvali, Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, met with Leonid. Sergyi Kokoev, Priest of Vladikavkaz and Alania Eparchy serving in Tskhinvali, also attended the meeting. Issues relating to support Orthodoxy in Tskhinvali Region was discussed at the meeting.
• On October 26, 2018, Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, congratulated Leonid on his 50th birthday.
• On August 26, 2019, Leonid congratulated Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, on „the Day of International Recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia“.
• On September 20, 2019, Leonid congratulated Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, on „Republic Day of South Ossetia“.
• On October 14, 2019, Leonid congratulated Orthodox population of Tskhinvali Region and the servicemen of the 4th Russian military base dislocated in Tskhinvali Region on the feast of  Intercession of the Theotokos.
• On October 26, 2019, Anatoly Bibilov, de facto President of Tskhinvali Region, congratulated Leonid on his birthday as well as on his appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations.
• On November 19, 2019, Leonid delivered a welcome speech at the conference “Orthodoxy. Ethnos. Culture ", held at the so-called the State University of South Ossetia.
• On February 6, 2020, Leonid extended birthday greetings to the de facto president of the Tskhinvali region, Anatoly Bibilov, on his 50th birthday.
• On April 7, 2020, Leonid congratulated the Orthodox population of the Tskhinvali region on the Feast of the Annunciation.
• On January 7, 2020, Sergey Kokoev, the priest of the Diocese of Vladikavkaz and Alanya, conducted a Christmas service at the Holy Trinity Church of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tskhinvali. Anatoly Bibilov, the de facto president of the Tskhinvali region, also attended the service. At the end of the liturgy, Sergey Kokoev read out congratulatory message of Leonid.