Moscow laying groundwork for alternative patriarchate in Muslim Turkey

The Moscow Patriarchate is taking its battle against the Universal Patriarchate over Ukrainian autocephaly to a new level: it is seeking to organize Orthodox parishes in Türkiye in order to set the stage for the creation of a new patriarchate in the backyard of Patriarch Bartholomew. When Moscow spoke about an Orthodox Patriarchate in Türkiye a few weeks ago, many dismissed that as an absurdity because there are so few non-Muslims in that country; but in fact, many of the oldest patriarchates in the world are in places where there are very few Orthodox believers – and Moscow clearly plans to add another one to it as part of its geo-religious game. Metropolitan Illarion who heads the Moscow Patriarchate’s office for external relations says that given the break with Constantinople Russia has “not other way out then to send priests of the Russian Orthodox Church to Türkiye” and organize Orthodox parishes there (rusk.ru and mospat.ru). The Russian hierarch acknowledges that there are only about 2,000 Orthodox believers among Turkish citizens, but there are now “tens of thousands of Russian-speaking residents” of that country, “not counting the constant flow of Russian tourists.” They want to know where they should go to pray. Up to now, Illarion says, Moscow restrained from taking independent action out of deference to the Constantinople Patriarch but now that the latter "has violated the canonical territory of Russia," Moscow no longer feels the need to hold back. Instead, it is sending its own priests to Türkiye to support the faithful. Apparently, the first case of this took place yesterday when a priest from Russia held an Orthodox service in the church on the territory of the Russian consulate general in Istanbul. That church had been jointly consecrated by the two patriarchs, Kirill and Bartholomew, in 2009.

Further Reading:

• Putin’s ‘Russian world’ rapidly contracting in Ukraine and elsewhere, Sokolov says
• More fallout from Ukrainian autocephaly: Russians learn Moscow Orthodox hierarchs were KGB officers
• Constantinople: Moscow could be stripped of autocephaly, while Belarus could gain it
• Ukrainian mufti puts a Russian one in his place over Orthodox autocephaly
• Tomos ante portas: a short guide to Ukrainian church independence
• Constantinople decision on Ukrainian Church truly has global consequences
• The next domino – Belarusian Orthodox hope for autocephaly
• Moscow having failed to block Ukrainian autocephaly now attempting to exploit it
• Constantinople could grant autocephaly to Belarusian Orthodox Church next, Gorbik says
• Constantinople moves to grant autocephaly to Ukrainian Church, outraging Moscow
• Three signs Moscow Patriarch Kirill knows he’s lost on Ukrainian autocephaly
• Ecumenical Patriarch to grant Ukrainian Orthodox autocephaly, Greek Church source says
• Waiting for Constantinople’s historical decision on Church autocephaly in Ukraine
• Implicitly conceding Ukrainian autocephaly, Moscow makes plans to split Orthodoxy and dominate one part of it, analysts say
• Ukrainian autocephaly just as inevitable as restoration of USSR is impossible
• Inside Ukraine’s appeal for Church autocephaly