The visit of Patriarch Alexei I of Moscow and All Rus’ to the Phanar in 1960: the position of the Patriarchate of Constantinople

Authors

  • Nikodim O. Pashkov Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Keywords:

Alexy I, Athenagoras I, Patriarchate of Constantinople, Phanar, Turkish press, Cyprus crisis, Athos, diaspora, church diplomacy

Abstract

This article reconstructs how the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Turkish public perceived the first-ever visit of Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky) of Moscow and All Rus’ to the Phanar (23–26 December 1960). Based on a comparison of Russian-, English-, and Turkish-language publications, as well as archival materials, it shows the expectations and concerns of the Patriarchate of Constantinople regarding the Moscow Patriarchate in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the topics raised during meeting of Alexy I with Athenagoras I (the Russian diaspora in the United States, canonical jurisdictions, dialogue with non-Orthodox, monasticism on Mount Athos), and how this ecclesiastical contact was interpreted in the Turkish media discourse, formed in the shadow of the Cyprus crisis and the domestic political changes of 1960. A difference in the parties’ interpretations of this meeting was revealed: for the USSR, the visit was a success of church diplomacy, while for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, it was a cautious attempt to remove inter-Orthodox dialogue from a state of mutual suspicion, without compromising its coordinating role.

Author Biography

  • Nikodim O. Pashkov, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    PhD (history), docent; associate professor at the department of international relations, faculty of international relations

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Published

2026-06-03

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Journal of the Belarusian State University. History

Section

World History

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How to Cite

[1]
Pashkov, N.O. 2026. The visit of Patriarch Alexei I of Moscow and All Rus’ to the Phanar in 1960: the position of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 2 (Jun. 2026), 42–50. DOI:https://doi.org/10.33581/2520-6338-2026-2-%p.