The Church of Moldova has not yet joined the Romanian Patriarchate
Meeting of the hierarchy and clergy of the Church of Moldova. Photo: website of the Metropolitan of Moldova
On November 16, 2023, a meeting of the clergy of the Moldovan Metropolis was held in Chisinau, where the proposal of a group of priests to join the Romanian Patriarchate was discussed, according to a statement by the vicar of the Metropolis, Bishop Ioan (Moșneguțu), reported by Noi.
"During the meeting, a decision was made, according to which the Orthodox Church of Moldova maintains its current status <...> The clergy and the people remain faithful to the Orthodox Church of Moldova and His Eminence Vladimir. There will be no negotiations for the Orthodox Church of Moldova to join the Romanian Patriarchate," said the bishop.
At the same time, the Jurnal resource, citing its sources, claims that the opinions of the clergy at the meeting were divided. The day before, the Metropolis conducted a survey among the clergy regarding their attitude toward a possible transition to the Romanian Patriarchate.
"The results showed that supporters of the Moldovan Metropolis joining the Romanian Patriarchate are mainly priests from Chisinau, but representatives of districts and villages disagree. Thus, Metropolitan Vladimir hinted that he does not mind a possible transition to the Romanian Patriarchate but does not want to cause divisions in the Church," the resource writes.
According to its data, "about 90 percent of the meeting participants did not express an open desire for the Metropolis to join the Romanian Patriarchate," noting that so far, there have been no official invitations from the Romanian Church for dialogue.
The resource also writes that, according to Metropolitan Vladimir, the "proposal to hold negotiations on the accession of the Metropolis of Moldova to the Romanian Patriarchate initially came from Prime Minister Dorin Rechan."
Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to the statement of the President of Moldova, the Church should unite for the benefit of the country.
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