The Moldovan Orthodox Church headed by Metropolitan Bishop Vladimir keeps its current status. Discussions on the joining of the Patriarchate of Romania or other patriarchates will not be initiated, vicar of the Moldovan Orthodox Church Ioan Moșneguțu, Bishop of Soroca, stated after the meeting held on Thursday at the Metropolitan Church, IPN reports.
According to him, the rumors that the Moldovan Orthodox Church will join the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia are untrue. “A decision was adopted in the meeting and this says that the Moldovan Orthodox Church keeps its current status. We have his Holiness Vladimir as the head of the Moldovan Orthodox Church. The clergy and the people remain faithful to the Moldovan Orthodox Church and to his Holiness Vladimir. Discussions on the joining by the Moldovan Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Romania or other patriarchates will not be initiated,” Ioan Moșneguțu told the press.
The Eparchy of Chisinau includes 16 of the 32 districts of the Republic of Moldova and is led by His Holiness Vladimir, whose full title is the Metropolitan Bishop of Chisinau and all Moldova. Since Russia launched its war against Ukraine, tens of priests in Moldova defected from the Metropolitan Church of Moldova, which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, to the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia, which is canonically subordinated to the Romanian Russian Orthodox Church. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the pro-war attitude of Russian Patriarch Kirill. Other tens of priests intend to take the same step and reregistered the bishoprics with the Public Services Agency.
In a letter sent to Patriarch Kirill in September, Metropolitan Bishop Vladimir complained that the Metropolitan Church of Moldova has lost priests and parishioners. He said the priests are attracted to the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia with higher salaries and the Moldovan and Romanian authorities in the recent past have openly supported the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia. Representatives of the Metropolitan Church of Moldovan recently confirmed that they received a response from Moscow and comments on this will be yet made.
