The Americans want to form another hotbed of tension by creating an “Orthodox analogue” of the Vatican in Turkey. This is stated in an article published in the Turkish edition of Cumhuriyet, writes Pravblog.

The author of the article refers to the results of the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to the United States, during which the head of the Phanar complained about his position in Turkey and Russia’s reaction to his actions in Ukraine.

According to him, this visit clarified the US policy towards Phanar and Turkey.

Namely, the Americans are trying to turn Phanar and its head into a “true leader of the Orthodox world”, since at the moment in the Orthodox world he is considered only “the first among equals” and autocephalous local churches do not accept his claim to leadership.

According to the author, this will help the Americans to promote their influence on the Orthodox peoples, as they did back in the 40s, using the Phanar to influence the Orthodox peoples in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

That is why pressure is being exerted on Turkey to recognize the Phanar as “universal”, that is, the leader of all Orthodox Christians, the author notes.