The division in the Orthodox faith in Moldova has deepened after the Metropolitanate of Moldova, subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, rejected accusations that it is a “Russian church“, and the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, affiliated with the Romanian Orthodox Church, accused it of “mass delusion“, reports “Reuters“, quoted by News.bg.
Moldova, located between Ukraine and Romania, is a country with over 90% Orthodox, but believers are divided between the two church structures - the Metropolitanate of Moldova (under the jurisdiction of Moscow) and the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia (under the jurisdiction of Bucharest). None of them has full autocephaly.
After a meeting of its synod, the Metropolitanate of Moldova declared that it was “not a Russian church, but a church of all people living in Moldova - believers of different nationalities“ and stressed that it was “free and independent in its activities“.
In response, the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia accused the Moldovan synod of “duplicity and moral lies“, stating that it “misleads the public, claiming to represent the entire Orthodox Church on the territory of historical Moldova, while in fact it is a local structure of the Moscow Patriarchate“.
Tensions intensified after the Moscow Metropolis stripped 11 priests of their titles for switching to Romanian jurisdiction - a trend that has intensified since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. According to “Reuters“, in September, priests loyal to Moscow were taken on tours of Russia and instructed to warn parishioners about the “dangers“ of the Moldovan government's pro-European policies.
The division also has historical roots - Moldova was part of the Russian Empire, “Greater Romania“ and the Soviet Union. Today, the dispute between the two dioceses reflects not only an ecclesiastical but also a geopolitical confrontation between Moscow's influence and Chisinau's aspirations for Europe.