Civil Society Congress demand that Metropolitan Vladimir step down

The Civil Society Congress and its outspoken member Fiodor Ghelici are demanding that Bishop Vladimir, born Nicolae Cantarean, leave the seat of the head of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, for “betraying the Church and God”, Info-Prim Neo reports. Speaking today at a news conference, also attended by representatives of ethnic organizations and denominations, Fiodor Ghelici said the reason for demanding Vladimir's resignation was his decision to get into politics. Ghelici believes that this decision will disillusion many believers and drive them away from churches, “which have become business enterprises milking people of their money”. He condemned previous church involvement in the political life, recalling that in the latest election campaigns the name of the Communist leader was more common during sermons than the name of Jesus Christ. Ghelici also condemned the billboards portraying Vladimir alongside a political party leader, arguing that it would drive believers away from the Orthodox church into the arms of various sects. “I don't know who appointed Vladimir to be Metropolitan, but I assume God was taking a leave then. If he truly believes in God, he ought to take off his robe, put on a suit and a tie and then he is free to get into politics”, stated Fiodor Ghelici. Alexandr Iudin, representing the Baptist community, said Moldova is not ready for the introduction of mandatory religion courses in schools because this country is home to multiple ethnic communities and denominations. Felix Mihailean, the chairman of an Armenian organization, says the Church should be the only institution in a state which has no right to get involved into politics. He believes it is unacceptable to make experiments on children, and religion should be, at best, taught in schools from a historical perspective. Earlier, the Synod of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, including Metropolitan Vladimir, announced its official support behind the political project launched by Valeriu Pasat, once chief of the intelligence agency and currently president of the Humanist Party.