The Vatican Has Made a Strategic Bet on the Phanar

The following thoughts arise from Mishkov’s conversation with a Vatican representative.

1. The Vatican is attempting to influence the election of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches (which is quite logical). At the same time, Catholics had pinned their hopes on certain primates, expecting them to engage in more active ecumenical dialogue and demonstrate “openness” toward the Roman Catholic Church. However, these expectations were not fully met.

2. The Papacy has made a strategic bet on the Phanar in the Orthodox world. And Catholics are actively (albeit often behind the scenes) promoting the interests of the Phanariots.

“Naum is very close, as you know, to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This best aligns with Vatican policy, since your guiding principle is to ensure that the Ecumenical Patriarch is well taken care of and supported.”

3. The Vatican works closely with political circles in various countries to implement its desired strategies in the religious sphere (in the case of Ukraine, it is worth recalling that the parliament’s appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew regarding the tomos was initiated and secured by Uniate deputies, including the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada).

At the same time, Catholics clearly distinguish between politicians based on the degree to which they are willing to cooperate. For example, in Bulgaria (judging by the reaction of Mishkov’s interlocutor), the Roman Catholic Church is ready to openly cooperate with Borisov. But not with Peevski.

4. Mishkov’s remarks about gifts for the Metropolitan of Plovdiv directly suggest the existence of a widespread practice of bribing high-ranking church officials. In light of this, reports that Patriarch Bartholomew received millions of dollars for granting the tomos to Ukraine gain further credence.

5. Archimandrite Nikanor has once again confirmed that Metropolitan Nikolai of Plovdiv attempted to seize control of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by promoting a hierarch loyal to him to the desired position.
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