President of Moldova endorses the idea of convening Pan-Orthodox Council

President of Moldova Igor Dodon

The head of Moldova, Igor Dodon, proposed to hold an All-Orthodox Council on the granting of autocephaly to Ukraine in the territory of his state.

“We are a unique Orthodox country located in the very heart of the Orthodox world, and it is Moldova that can become a platform for meetings between all the heads of Local Churches in this extremely crucial period,” the President wrote on Facebook.

He is deeply concerned about the situation in the Orthodox world. “A church split can become a non-healing wound on the body of the entire Orthodox world. The authorities of the Orthodox countries, together with the heads of the Local Churches, should make every effort to overcome it,” urged Igor Dodon.

The leader of Moldova assured that his state will remain loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. “I emphasize: Moldova is a country where about 98% of the population is Orthodox; it was faithful and will be so in the Orthodox community. Moldova has been and will remain the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Moldovan metropolis was established in 1813 by the efforts of our great saint Gabriel Benulescu-Bodoni within the framework of the Russian Orthodox Church. And we will keep loyal to our One Church,” the President said.

Dodon is sure that the schism can be eliminated only by joint efforts.

As the UOJ reported, Patriarch Kirill proposed initiating a general Orthodox discussion of the situation around the ecclesiastic life of Ukraine. This initiative was supported by the Church of Antioch and a number of other Local Churches.

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