Russia's power play in the Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church said this week that it was considering establishing an exarchate in Turkey, as it has just done in Africa, further deepening the schism between the Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchate that opened up following the decision by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephaly, essentially making it independent of Russia. Professor Phil Dorroll joins The Greek Current to analyze these moves by Russia, explain why a move to establish a Russian exarchate in Turkey would do incredible damage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox community, and provide a broader look into how Moscow’s efforts to undermine the Phanar are playing out across the Orthodox world.
Professor Phil Dorroll is Associate Professor of Religion at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and his research has focused on Islam in Turkey and Muslim-Orthodox Christian relations.
Read Prof. Phil Dorroll’s twitter thread on the issue here.
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
Russia Hinting at Establishing Exarchate in Turkey, Deepening Schism
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