A group of Orthodox young people says the Moldovan Metropolitan Church betrayed the Christians in the most criminal way possible as it did not oppose the passing of the Law on Guaranteeing of Equality. In a news conference on Monday, they demanded that the Metropolitan Bishop should apologize publicly for disappointing and deceiving the Christians by taking no steps to prevent the adoption of the law, Info-Prim Neo reports.
Magdalena Tibuleac, who said she represented hundreds of young Orthodox Christians, stated that the Metropolitan Bishop Vladimir during the last two years expressed his position on the antidiscrimination law only through empty statements. “The Moldovan Metropolitan Church was repeatedly urged to mobilize and oppose the hasty adoption of the law in the current form. His Holiness preferred to keep silent,” she said, adding that this way the Metropolitan Bishop betrayed the Christians and a part of the blame for the passing of this law is borne by the Church.
Dorin Jamba said the 53 MPs who voted in favor of the Law on Guaranteeing of Equality and other persons such as Prime Minister Vlad Filat, Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim, and former Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase should be banned from attending religious ceremonies until they publicly repent of the crime committed against the people. He stressed that if the Moldovan Metropolitan Church ignores the Christians’ appeal this time too, the young Orthodox Christians will ask Russian Patriarch Kiril to appoint another Metropolitan Bishop, who will be able to defend the Church and manage it with love.
The Law on Guaranteeing of Equality was adopted by Parliament on May 25. The lawmakers assured that the law represents a mechanism for ensuring the equality of citizens in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution and the relevant European directives. The adoption of this law represents a condition imposed by the EU for liberalizing the visa regime with Moldova. The day the law was passed, public organizations and political parties protested in front of the Palace of the Republic, where the MPs hold the sittings.
