Veniamin, Bishop of Southern Bessarabia, rejects the accusations and insinuations recently leveled against him in the public sphere, describing them as completely untrue and part of a smear campaign directed against him and the Romanian Orthodox Church. In a public statement, the bishop asserts that he has not been and is not involved in the acts attributed to him in various reports appearing in the press and online, IPN reports.

Bishop Veniamin also maintains that the information being circulated is false and baseless. The bishop believes that the accusations were made without regard for the ethical principles of accurate and responsible reporting, and says that they are intended to discredit him and the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The bishop expressed his confidence that the truth would come to light and thanked the clergy and faithful who chose to act with discernment and restraint in this situation. At the same time, he announced that he reserves the right to use all legal means to identify and hold accountable those who promoted and distributed information that he considers false and defamatory.

The press release from the Bishop of Southern Bessarabia comes after His Eminence Petru, Archbishop of Chisinau and Metropolitan of Bessarabia, submitted a request to retire from ministry, citing reasons of age, health, and the good of the Church. Reports have appeared in the press suggesting that the decision is linked to the high-ranking church official’s involvement in a sex scandal that also allegedly involves Bishop Veniamin.