How the Phanar promotes recognition of the OCU

On July 15, 2023, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski visited Phanar, where he discussed "issues of mutual interest" with Patriarch Bartholomew. Concurrently, Phanar's Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon visited Bulgaria, where he demanded that the Bulgarian Patriarch “fulfill the given promise” and recognize the OCU. In addition, Emmanuel told the Bulgarians that the Church of North Macedonia should be called the "Archbishopric of Ohrid" instead of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Naturally, both of these visits are not accidental, and taking into account the recent Bishops' Meeting of the Russian Orthodox Church (where war was actually declared on the Phanar's claims to its primacy in world Orthodoxy), they demand closer attention to them.

The confrontation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Phanar did not begin yesterday, and the Bishops' Conference was only a response to the work that the Phanar is doing against its rival. It should be noted that in the art of intrigue, behind-the-scenes games, and their ability to play the long game, the Phanariots excel, surpassing both the ROC and any other opponents. This has been influenced by their constant struggle for survival in an Islamic environment, close connections with politicians and intelligence agencies, and inherent "Cretan-Hellenic" slyness: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (Tit. 1, 12).

An example of this slyness and the art of intrigue can be the situation with the Macedonian Church.

Phanar and Macedonia

As early as June 5, 2022, the Macedonian Church received the Tomos of Autocephaly from the Serbian Patriarchate. However, literally the next day, Archbishop Stefan announced that the "Ohrid Archdiocese" (which is an important point – Auth.) will ask the Ecumenical Patriarchate for a Tomos of autocephaly, since this is the only Church that has the right to provide such documents in accordance with traditions and canons. He further emphasized that his goal is to obtain “true autocephaly, recognized by all,” as there is “a canonical tradition that only the Ecumenical Patriarchate can grant a Tomos of autocephaly, while other Churches reverently accept it.”

Archbishop Stefan did not disclose the specific "canonical tradition" or the exact canon in which it is written. However, it is evident that the concept of "tradition" smoothly transitions into the notion of "privilege." This becomes a tool of power for the Phanar over other Churches. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is well aware of this situation and attempts to counter it.

ROC and Macedonia

Within the Macedonian Church, there are several bishops who side with the canonical position in the dispute between the Phanar and the Russian Church. They believe that their Church does not need another Tomos from Patriarch Bartholomew to legitimize itself. The most notable among them is Metropolitan Grigorij of Kumanovo and Osogovo. Besides rejecting the need for a Phanariot Tomos, he also upholds the right of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to be called not the "Archbishopric of Ohrid" (as demanded by the Phanar) but the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Moreover, Bishop Grigorij authored a book titled "Constantinople Patriarch: First Among Equals," which already suggests his opposition to the Phanar's policies. He presents his position as "patriotic," contrasting it with Archbishop Stefan's stance.

However, some within the Macedonian Church view this bishop as biased. They blame him for his close communication with the head of the Russian Representation in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) as the reason for his partiality. It is claimed that Archimandrite Vassian "communicates" Moscow's position to some Macedonian hierarchs.

For instance, after one of the services, Metropolitan Grigorij declared in his sermon that the Macedonian Orthodox Church firmly stands on the Russian side in the dispute between the Phanar and the ROC regarding the recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

In this context, the efforts by the Phanar to promote their Tomos do not appear as a "canonical tradition" but as an attempt to remove the Macedonian Church from the "sphere of influence" of both the ROC and the Serbian Church.
Moreover, the visible sign of "freedom" from the ROC's influence should not only be the reception of the "right" Tomos but also the recognition of the OCU. Essentially, the liturgical mention of Dumenko is the price that must be paid for "true autocephaly," which the Macedonians do not want to pay.

Moreover, it should be reminded once again that the Phanar's Tomos also comes with a dependency on the Constantinople Church. Consequently, Patriarch Bartholomew will not easily abandon his "tradition" of granting autocephaly and will exploit all possible means of pressure on dissenters, primarily through state authorities.

Hence, his meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Kovachevski, aimed to discuss the terms for receiving the Tomos. These terms are straightforward – recognition of the OCU and renaming the Macedonian Church to the "Archbishopric of Ohrid". This is why North Macedonia was involved during Metropolitan Emmanuel's visit to Bulgaria.

Phanar and Bulgaria

Metropolitan Emmanuel's visit to Bulgaria had several objectives:

1. Attempts to promote the recognition of the OCU.
2. Persuade Bulgarians to refer to the Macedonian Church as the "Archbishopric of Ohrid".

To achieve these goals, the chief ideologue and initiator of the Tomos for the OCU (recall that Metropolitan Emmanuel chaired the "unification council" in Kyiv) selected one of the most influential Bulgarian hierarchs – Metropolitan Nikolay of Plovdiv.

By "happy coincidence," Bishop Nikolay is not only one of the most authoritative bishops in Bulgaria but also a well-known opponent of "Russian influence" within the Bulgarian Church. For example, he refused to participate in a meeting with a delegation from the ROC, which arrived in his country in October 2019. Three months before that, Bishop Nikolay "happened" to visit the Phanar, where he was warmly received by Patriarch Bartholomew. Therefore, the choice of him as a negotiator with the Phanar is not accidental. And we know that these negotiations were taking place.

On July 15, 2023, Metropolitan Emmanuel demanded that the Bulgarian Church "fulfill the promise," allegedly given by Patriarch Neophytos, to add Dumenko's name to the Diptych of the Bulgarian Church. Additionally, he expressed a desire for the Bulgarian Church to reconsider its approach to naming the Church of North Macedonia.

However, it seems that Metropolitan Emmanuel slightly overreacted in terms of pressure on Bishop Nikolay and presented his demands in rather a harsh manner. In the end, he received a response that no one in the Church should claim to be the ultimate source of truth.

The outcome of the negotiations remains unknown. Likewise, the exact price offered by the Phanar to the Bulgarians in exchange for recognizing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is still uncertain. However, some assumptions can be made.

The "Bulgarian price" for recognizing the OCU

The fact is that Metropolitan Nikolay of Plovdiv represents a group of Bulgarian hierarchs advocating a revision of the place of the Bulgarian Church in the Diptychs. In October 2019, when explaining his unwillingness to participate in receiving a delegation from the ROC, Metropolitan Nikolay wrote that "the time when the position of the Bulgarian Patriarchate (regarding the recognition of the OCU) will be announced and conveyed to other Autocephalous Churches depends on the place allotted to us in the Diptychs."

He continued, stating that "of course, all Autocephalous Churches are equal to each other, and none of them is more important, larger, or more significant than the others, and each Church can declare its position at any time it deems necessary. However, I believe that for us at the moment, the observance of the order in the Diptychs is of fundamental importance. So, if someone considers that our opinion is essential and needs to be urgently heard, they should remember that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has been autocephalous since 927 AD."

In conclusion, the bishop wrote that "we may be small and poor, but the fact that we are a small and poor Church does not prevent us from defending the dignity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and demanding that it be treated with respect – with the same respect that we have always shown to all others."

Clearly, these statements about the place in the Diptychs were made in the context of pressure on the Bulgarian Church regarding the swift recognition of the OCU. But as it seems, the Phanariots are now using them as a form of payment for this recognition. Especially since Metropolitan Nikolay has expressed himself favorably regarding the "Ukrainian autocephaly".

For instance, in March 2022, the bishop mentioned that "many years ago, in the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, there began a desire for separation and autocephaly... There is an ancient canonical rule according to which the Churches adhere to administrative-territorial divisions and state borders and, when creating a new territorial-state unit, have the right to their own autocephalous church organization."

Moreover, in December of the same year, during a meeting with the DECR MP Chairman, Metropolitan Antony, he stated that "the war in Ukraine is a continuation of an inter-church dispute over jurisdiction that today threatens the very body of the Holy Orthodox Church, and therefore, we must put an end to it."

From these statements of Bishop Nikolay, it can be concluded that one of the conditions for ending the war in Ukraine is "putting an end to the inter-church dispute over jurisdiction." In other words, renouncing any claims to Ukraine, possibly including recognizing the "autocephaly" of the OCU.

What's next?

Summing up all that has been said, it can be concluded that the Phanariots have not abandoned their idea of holding a trial against Patriarch Kirill, which they voiced through Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria in January 2022. However, due to the war in Ukraine, this trial did not take place. Another reason is the disagreement over the placement of Churches in the Diptychs.

Currently, in almost all Orthodox Churches worldwide, the name of Patriarch Kirill is commemorated immediately after the name of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, that is, in the fifth place. Whereas the Bulgarians commemorate him in the eighth or ninth place, and the Cypriots in the tenth place. Therefore, to organize a Pentarchy trial, there must be five Patriarchs-"judges". Hence, the position of the Moscow Patriarch should be given to the Church that is older or more authoritative, regardless of the specifics.

The precedent itself is crucial here - changing the Diptychs. Moreover, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed this idea 12 years ago when he announced the convocation of the Council of Primates of the "ancient Churches" (the four Eastern Patriarchates and the Church of Cyprus). While informing these Primates, the head of the Phanar stated the following: "The ancient Patriarchates of the Orthodox Church together with the Holy Church of Cyprus... are like the backbone of the entire structure and composition of the Orthodox Church."

So, in our opinion, the Phanariots have put the trial against Patriarch Kirill on hold and are currently working on creating serious grounds for it by advancing the change in the Diptychs order. Additionally, they are working on granting several Tomoses to new Churches that will support the Ecumenical Patriarchate at a hypothetical Pan-Orthodox Council or Conference of Primates.

As we can see, the subterranean "games of church thrones" are being played quite intensely, despite the fact that no major events seem to be happening outwardly.

It is challenging to predict how all of this will end. One thing can be said with certainty: unity in Orthodoxy is currently lacking.