Conflicts between the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate, and the Metropolis of Moldova, which is canonically subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, are being exploited to spread information that calls the legitimacy of the clergy into question and seeks to influence believers’ religious choices.
Analyst Mihai Isac expressed this view on TVR Moldova.
The expert described a provocation in the town of Făgureni, where members of the Metropolis of Bessarabia have complained about the distribution of pamphlets targeting their community and pressure to replace their priest.
“In Făgureni, members of the Metropolis of Bessarabia say that outsiders have been distributing a pamphlet for several weeks, urging people to demand that their priest be replaced. Messages subsequently circulated on Viber, TikTok and Telegram questioning the ministry of the Romanian Patriarchate priest and claiming that he had betrayed his faith. What ‘wonderful’ concern for peace. You enter a community, intimidate believers and then complain about divisions,” Isac said.
The analyst recalled that the Metropolis of Bessarabia has a history spanning more than a century and that its right to legal recognition was upheld by a European Court of Human Rights ruling on 13 December 2001. The court found that the Moldovan authorities had violated freedom of religion by refusing to recognise the religious body.
We previously reported that some clergy members of the Metropolis of Moldova, which is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, would like to join the Romanian Orthodox Church but are hesitant because they fear possible persecution. The statement was made by Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia.
As LF reported, Russian authorities are using widespread bribery of voters and local Russian Orthodox Church priests in an effort to gain control over Moldova. According to the investigation, Russian Orthodox priests serving in Moldova were recruited specifically to carry out propaganda activities.
In Moldova, the Liberal Party has called on parliament to adopt legislation requiring the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova, which belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate, to permanently sever its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Otherwise, the party argues, the religious organisation should be outlawed because it serves as an instrument of Russian influence.
Will the Russian Orthodox Church manage to retain its ecclesiastical influence in Moldova by distorting the information landscape and altering the country’s political course? Read LF’s analysis of the issue here.
