Bishop in Moldova fined for criticizing LGBT

Archbishop Marchel criticizing the gay parade in Bălți. Photo: TV Balti

Archbishop Marchel, hierarch of the Moldovan Orthodox Church and Archbishop of Bălți and Fălești, has been ordered to pay a fine for criticizing homosexuals, according to the LGBT publication GENDERDOC-M.

The outlet claims that the archbishop publicly opposed the organization of a gay parade in the city of Bălți. He also dared to call gay people “sinners” and “lost.”

Representatives of the LGBT community told the court that the cleric’s statements “had a significant impact on their personal safety and amounted to a clear incitement to hatred and violence based on sexual orientation.” They demanded compensation for moral damages.

The court ordered the hierarch to pay each plaintiff 10,000 Moldovan lei as compensation for the suffering caused.

The decision may be appealed to the Chișinău Court of Appeals within 30 days of its issuance.

As previously reported by the UOJ, a Moldovan politician has stated that the President of Moldova may ban the Orthodox Church after the elections.

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