The Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has elected Bishop Antonie of Bălți as Archbishop of Chișinău, Metropolitan of Bessarabia, and Exarch of the Territories.
This was reported by Basilica.ro.
The decision was made during a working session of the Synod chaired by Patriarch Daniel at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest.
Earlier, the Metropolis of Bessarabia announced that 79 year old Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia had requested to be relieved of his duties as Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia.
Antonie Telembici was born on 29 May 1963 in Moldova. Since 1995, he has carried out administrative, missionary, cultural, and information work within the Metropolis of Bessarabia. In May 2014, the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church elected him Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chișinău. In 2018, the Holy Synod elected him Bishop of Bălți.
As is well known, the Metropolis of Bessarabia is an autonomous Orthodox Church within the Romanian Patriarchate that operates primarily in the Republic of Moldova. The Orthodox Church of Moldova, which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, also operates in the country.
As LF previously reported, more than 800 churches in Moldova that are classified as historical monuments could be returned to state ownership. The churches belong to the Metropolis of Moldova, which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. This was stated by Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan.
As LF previously reported, Member of Parliament and leader of Moldova’s Party of Socialists Igor Dodon, who supports the federalization of Moldova, commented on the confrontation in the village of Dereneu in Călărași District. He described the transfer of parishes from the Moldovan Orthodox Metropolis of the Moscow Patriarchate to the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Bessarabia of the Romanian Orthodox Church as “church raiding.”
In Moldova, the Liberal Party has called on Parliament to adopt a law requiring the Moldova-Chișinău Metropolis of the Moscow Patriarchate to permanently sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Otherwise, the party argues, the religious organization should be declared illegal because it serves as an instrument of influence for the Russian Federation.
As LF previously reported, the Russian authorities enlisted foreign religious bloggers to interfere in Moldova’s parliamentary elections. The Russian intelligence operation, codenamed “Matushka,” was carried out through structures linked to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Earlier, we reported that the Russian Orthodox Church once again claimed that the “canonical church structures” were facing pressure from the authorities in Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Will the Russian Orthodox Church be able to preserve its influence in Moldova by distorting the information space and reshaping the country’s political course? Read LF’s analysis on the subject through the link.
