Mass Baptisms in Cameroon and Chad: The Patriarchal Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church Expands Its Mission in Africa

In July 2026, mass baptisms were held in Central African countries by representatives of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to information provided by the OrthoChristian website ( ), visits by clergy to the northern regions of Cameroon and Chad led to hundreds of local residents converting to Orthodoxy.

From July 12 to 16, a group of clergy led by Father Pavel Atangana, dean of the Central Ecclesiastical District of Cameroon, visited a number of rural communities. On July 12, the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, the First-Called Apostles, 20 people were baptized in the village of Dobinga (Cameroon). In the days that followed, the number of new believers increased significantly: on July 15, 63 people were baptized in one of the communities, and in Chad, another 65 local residents, including the village chief, joined the church.

The final stage of the missionary trip, on July 16, was the baptism of 32 residents in the Cameroonian city of Guén. The overwhelming majority of the new converts had previously practiced animistic beliefs. The acceptance of Christianity brought deep joy to both the local elders and the ordinary parishioners, who officially entered the fold of the Church through baptism and chrismation.

As a reminder, we previously reported that in Mozambique, 38 local residents were received into the Orthodox Church at a new parish of the African Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate ( ) in the village of Tomboe, Nyasa Province. The baptisms were performed by Priest Christos Sitoe during a pastoral visit to Orthodox communities in the north of the country.