Moldovan hierarch accuses Romania's government of seizing churches

Archbishop Marchel. Photo: ephbalti

On June 29, 2025, Archbishop Marchel of Bălți and Fălești accused the authorities of Romania and the Romanian Patriarchate of seizing churches of the Moldovan Orthodox Church.

The reason for Bishop Marchel's statement was an attempt to seize a church in the village of Grinăuți, Rîșcani district. According to the bishop, the attack was carried out by representatives of the Metropolis of Bessarabia – a structure subordinate to the Romanian Patriarchate.

"Like a thief in the middle of the night, like robbers, the Metropolis of Bessarabia and all Romanian politics act towards us, Moldovans," stated Archbishop Marchel.

He emphasized that such cases may recur, since, according to him, the Romanian government and church structures spare no expense in "buying Moldovan parishes".

According to local media, the incident in Grinăuți lasted several hours and was accompanied by a confrontation between parishioners of the two jurisdictions. The situation caused tension in the local community.

The archbishop also noted that, in his opinion, part of the funds allocated to Romania from the EU are used for the “destruction of Russian Orthodoxy” in Moldova.

The Moldovan Orthodox Church is a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was founded in 1813 and currently includes six dioceses and over 1200 parishes. The conflict with the parallel jurisdiction – the Metropolis of Bessarabia, subordinate to the Romanian Patriarchate, intensified after 2001, when the European Court of Human Rights forced the authorities to register its activities in Moldova.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Romanian hierarchs, all of Moldova belongs to the Romanian Patriarchate.

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