Dozens of Moldovan Church clerics are being sent on “pilgrimages” to Moscow, where they are treated to fancy luncheons and received by high-ranking representatives of the Russian Patriarchate. On departure, they receive cards issued by Promsviazbank, on which they are promised salaries and assistance for the Church, deschide.md found in an investigation.

This August and September, according to Deschide’s sources, over 120 clerics are planned to travel to Moscow with funding from the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor and the blessing of the the Russian Patriarchate. The trips are being organized by a group of Moldovan Church archpriests, who advertise the “pilgrimages” on closed Viber group chats.

Serghei Slănina, archpriest of Hâncești; Bartolomeu Turtureanu, archpriest of Ungheni; and Vadim Corotinschi, secretary to Archbishop Petru Mustață have been identified as organizers. They are in charge of recruiting “pilgrims” within the Diocese of Ungheni and Nisporeni. Meanwhile, Comrat Archipriest Petru Cheleș is responsible for Gagauzia, and Mihail Mungiu, secretary vicar of the Diocese of Cahul and Comrat, enlists priests from Cahul, Comrat, Cimişlia and Cantemir. Secretaries Nicolae Craveț and Adrian Cotelea are responsible for the Diocese of Soroca and the Eparchy of Edineț, respectively.

Archbishop Marchel is also involved in the scheme. He allegedly already took copies of the passports of the priests under his subordination to send them on “pilgrimages” to Russia.

Deschide’s sources noted that the procedure and form of the organization “seems strange”, and several priests expressed “confusion” about the agenda and the purpose of the visits, as the “pilgrimages” don’t seem to be related to any religious feast or context.

On August 20, 51 people are planned fly to Moscow via Istanbul. The list includes 24 priests from Florești and Soroca, who will be accompanied by their spouses or children. In order not to attract attention, they will be divided into three smaller groups and take different flights. Once in Moscow, the priests are expected to attend several religious conferences, attended by high-ranking Patriarchate representatives, where the state of the Russian Orthodox Church will be discussed and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will be criticized.

In similar “pilgrimages” earlier, the visiting priests were given a “royal welcome”, being served expensive foods and drinks, and offered gifts. They also visited the famous church workshop in Sofrino and a few Russian monasteries, and had meetings with famous theologians. At the end of the visit, each parish priest receives a MIR card, issued by Promsviazbank, the financial institution involved in the scheme through which Ilan Shor tried to buy the votes of pensioners in Gagauzia and Orhei in exchange for a monthly “allowance” of 2,000 lei. The issued cards have 0 balance, but the priests are promised that in the future sums of up to 1000 euros will be transferred to their accounts as “donations” to upkeep their churches, as well as for possible salaries from the Russian Patriarchate.

The purpose of these “pilgrimages”, according to desdechide.md, is to convince church leaders to collaborate with the Shor group in the upcoming elections.