Divine Diplomacy

Divine Dispatch: Moscow claims US/Israel strikes in Tehran damaged a Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Andreja Bogdanovski — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:49:27 GMT

Saint-Nicholas Orthodox Church in Tehran; Credit: Russian Embassy in Iran on X

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, your expertly curated weekly briefing on the pulse of church geopolitics.

Happy Easter to those who celebrated it this weekend. Last year, we were offered a glimpse of the future with joint Easter celebrations made possible due to calendar alignment.…

Dubious claims about Vatican takeover of Serbian Orthodox Church properties in Kosovo

Andreja Bogdanovski — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:28:51 GMT

This is the fifth and final article in a series of in-depth analyses I’ve been writing in partnership with the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub on the changing nature of Orthodox and other religious disinformation approaches in the Balkans.

This one is a little bit different from the Moscow-centric articles I’ve done before, as it focuses on the …

Orthodox disinformation pipelines shaping the Western Balkans landscape

Andreja Bogdanovski — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:26:26 GMT

Hello. This is the fourth in a series of in-depth analyses I’m writing in partnership with the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub on the changing nature of the Orthodox disinformation approaches in the Balkans.

Given the duration of the Russian war against Ukraine, the disinformation ecosystem has also evolved, focusing more on emotions as a vehicle…

Russian narratives in Montenegro target the Ecumenical Patriarch during Nicaea events

Andreja Bogdanovski — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:05:13 GMT

Hello there. This is the third in a series of in-depth analyses I’m writing in partnership with the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub dealing with the November Nicaea commemoration at Iznik (Turkey).

The gathering might have been the highlight of Catholic-Orthodox relations in 2025, but in the Balkans, Russia has been stoking fears of “unia”, und…

Film Promoted by Emir Kusturica Channels Kremlin Disinformation on Ukraine

Andreja Bogdanovski — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:45:33 GMT

Hello. This is the second in a series of in-depth analyses I’m writing in partnership with the Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub dealing with Emir Kusturica’s-backed documentary film titled “People of Christ – Our Time”, focusing on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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Russian disinformation narratives about Ukrainian faithful, presented and amplified i…

Russian Orthodox propaganda finds a gateway in North Macedonia’s church media

Andreja Bogdanovski — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:30:20 GMT

Hi everyone. I’ve partnered with Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub to write a series of in-depth analyses about the Russian Orthodox Church propaganda narratives circulation across the Balkans. Beyond Russian disinformation, the analyses highlight regional Orthodox and Catholic religious disinformation dynamics. I will be uploading these weekly.

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Kyiv accuses Russian Orthodox bishop of aiding Kremlin occupation

Andreja Bogdanovski — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:10:30 GMT

(Divine Diplomacy) — An influential Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has been served with a notice of suspicion by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for actively undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity by relying on religious propaganda activities and justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Metro…

Deal imminent as Greece and Egypt move to settle Sinai Monastery dispute

Andreja Bogdanovski — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:06:36 GMT

Greek PM Mitsotakis announces mutual understanding reached over future of historic monastery

New Archbishop of Sinai Symeon (right) and Greek foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis (left); Source Patriarchate of Jerusalem

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After months of uncertainty surrounding the historic St Catherine’s monastery on Mount Sinai, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis a…

Russia is fake ‘defender of traditional Christianity’, says Ukraine Orthodox leader

Andreja Bogdanovski — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:07:05 GMT

“In the Euro Atlantic space, Russian propaganda promotes the narrative of this war as a purportedly forced defence of ‘traditional values’ against the advance of ‘godless liberalism’,” says Metropolitan Epifaniy

Metropolitan Epifaniy (OCU) in Prague; ©Pomisna

The Primate of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine deplored Russia’s insistence on using r…

Pope Leo confirms visits to Turkey and Lebanon to strengthen Catholic–Orthodox ties

Andreja Bogdanovski — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:55:38 GMT

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, your expertly curated weekly briefing on church geopolitics.

Pope Leo has confirmed his first international trips to Turkey and Lebanon, marking a significant moment for Catholic-Orthodox relations, while Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been sentenced to two years in prison amid political cont…

Trump responds favourably to Bartholomew in Washington

Andreja Bogdanovski — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 09:32:56 GMT

US President Donald Trump meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Source: The White House

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, your expertly curated weekly briefing on the pulse of church geopolitics.

The situation around the Sinai monastery appears to be settling after the election of a new Archbishop and abbot, following significant involvement from A…

Church, state, and Satan: why Russia just banned 'Satanism'

Andreja Bogdanovski — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:08:49 GMT

Russia’s Supreme Court has just banned the so-called “International Satanist Movement” as an extremist organisation. But does it even exist?

In this episode I talk about the political and religious motivations behind Russia’s latest crackdown, exploring how President Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church are weaponising the concept of Satanism to frame …

Pope Leo meets Russian Orthodox ‘foreign minister’

Andreja Bogdanovski — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 09:17:20 GMT

Hello,

Hope you are all well. Wanted to share with you a new project I’ve been thinking of doing for a while - getting my stuff on YouTube. Here’s a video unpacking whether last week’s first meeting between Pope Leo and Metropolitan Anthony (Russian Orthodox “foreign minister”) marked a breakthrough in the fraught relations between the Catholic Church a…

Tensions erupt in Armenia after arrests of leading bishops

Andreja Bogdanovski — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:43:30 GMT

Patriarch Kirill and Catholicos Karekin II; Source: Armenian church US

There's been an escalation of the situation in Armenia, where two prominent bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church have been arrested last week for alleged participation in a coup attempt against the government.

The news comes after months of electrifying relations between the stat…

Divine Dispatch: Suicide bomber kills 25 Christians in Syria

Andreja Bogdanovski — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:38:29 GMT

Welcome to this week’s very packed Divine Dispatch, your curated briefing on the shifting frontlines of church geopolitics.

Undoubtedly, this week's main story concerns the devastating tragedy caused by a terrorist attack in Syria. Many are seeking answers and decisive actions from the new Syrian government and are concerned whether the country’s new le…

Divine Dispatch: Crisis in the Ohrid Archdiocese

Andreja Bogdanovski — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 19:20:07 GMT

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, your curated weekly briefing on church geopolitics.

The dominant story this week remains the uncertainty surrounding the Egyptian court ruling on the legal status of St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. The Greek government is directly involved — Greece’s Foreign Minister is in Cairo as I write this.

We now have confirmatio…

Divine Dispatch: Sinai monastery under threat of closure

Andreja Bogdanovski — Fri, 30 May 2025 14:59:25 GMT

Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, your expertly curated weekly briefing on the pulse of church geopolitics.

Over the past few days, Greece has seen significant mobilisation both from the government and the Church in response to a court ruling that could potentially lead to the closure of the Sinai monastery in Egypt.

Re…

Divine Dispatch 📫: Bloody Palm Sunday

Andreja Bogdanovski — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 21:27:35 GMT

Welcome back to Divine Dispatch, an expertly curated newsletter that tracks the pulse of church geopolitics weekly. If you are new here, welcome!

Holy Week began with the horrific news of Russia’s Palm Sunday attack on Sumy, which claimed many lives. Vatican Nuncio to Ukraine Visvaldas Kulbokas told Vatican News that many of the victims were churchgoers …

Divine Dispatch 📫: 24 - 30 January, 2025

Andreja Bogdanovski — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:16:03 GMT

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets Patriarch John X, 25 January 2025; Source Mospat

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, an expertly curated newsletter that tracks the pulse of church geopolitics weekly.

Sadly, this week's developments are largely centred around the passing of Archbishop Anastasios, the leader of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who leaves beh…

Divine Dispatch 📫: 17 - 23 January, 2025

Andreja Bogdanovski — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:22:07 GMT

Metropolitan Irinej’s interview for Serbian Pecat newspaper.

Welcome to Divine Dispatch, an expertly curated newsletter that tracks the pulse of church geopolitics weekly. If you are new here, welcome!

It's the one-year anniversary of Divine Diplomacy. Over 200 subscribers and over 2,1k views just in the last 30 days—steady growth and a great community o…