The Bessarabian Metropolitan Church and Exarchate of Land called upon the investigation bodies to examine the circumstances related to the scandal around the access to the Orthodox Bishopric “Dormition of the Mother of God” situated in Dereneu village of Călărași district.

In a news conference at IPN, Andrei Bucliş, secretary of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church, said the scandal has lasted for over two years. The Orthodox Bishopric “Dormition of the Mother of God” in Dereneu was illegally registered as belonging to the Metropolitan Church of Moldova. Representatives of the Metropolitan Church of Moldova besieged the church and since then the bishop, who is supported by most of the parishioners of the village, has held the services in a building he erected near the church. “The attacks on the part of the local public administration also intensified as this is now headed by the organizer of the devastation of the church, who hampers the activity of the parish – former president of the Rugby Federation of Moldova assisted by tens of professional experts, current mayor of Dereneu Revenco Vasile. We consider the state institutions allowed violating the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to canonically join a religious cult in the person of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church,” stated Andrei Bucliş.

Valeriu Enachi, bishop of Călăraşi, said all these attacks on the bishopric of Dereneu represent premeditated moves that follow a well-thought-out plan. “They disgracefully falsified legal documents of the bishopric without understanding that they must answer for this. I want to warn everyone: sooner or later they will all answer before the law for these abuses. It’s regrettable that those who should defend the law violate it. We hope for the real and healthy discernment of the authorities by which they will withdraw the actions taken illegally and intentionally as they have such a power. The responsibility belongs to the one who signed those documents, either after being asked or imposed or “persuaded”. We hope that the authorities will turn their attention to this case so that our community of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church could fulfill its missionary, pastoral and liturgical duties in the bishopric of Dereneu,” stated Valeriu Enachi.

The Bessarabian Metropolitan Church and Exarchate of Land requested the Public Services Agency to remedy the situation created because of its fault by which members of the Religious Community of the Orthodox Bishopric “Dormition of the Mother of God” of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church were illegally removed from the community’s administration. “The remedy consists in the registration of the documents that reconfirm the status of the Religious Community that existed before the Metropolitan Church of Moldova and its agents made illegal changes,” said the representatives of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church.