Moldovan bishop: "To Christian Europe I say yes, to gay Europe – no”
Archbishop Markel. Photo: Reuters
Archbishop Markel, one of the leading hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, has spoken out sharply against the imposition of the LGBT agenda in the European Union in his comment to Reuters.
“This is the gravest sin,” the Archbishop told Reuters. “To cultural, Christian Europe I say ‘yes.’ To gay Europe I say ‘no.’ If you come with the gays, then it is better you do not come at all.”
His statements came on the eve of the September 28 parliamentary elections, which may determine Moldova’s geopolitical future.
Reuters accused the Russian Orthodox Church of trying to influence the elections, claiming that during a pilgrimage of Moldovan Orthodox clergy in 2024, priests were issued debit cards from a Russian state bank with hundreds of dollars credited to them.
Archbishop Markel explained that the bank cards were issued so that clergy could purchase religious items in church shops during the pilgrimage.
The Archbishop dismissed as baseless and fabricated any talk of a Russian campaign to sway the vote, calling it a convenient excuse to mask the inability of Moldovan leaders to meet the needs of their citizens.
Earlier, President Maia Sandu claimed that ROC clergy influence elections by spreading propaganda.
Read also
Reports to SBU of weapons in UOC churches were always false, Novynskyi says
The protodeacon said that under Maliuk, inspections began to be accompanied by public accusations against the Church without evidence.
Culture Ministry pledges to speed up seizure of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from UOC
Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna has pledged to personally attend a court hearing in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra case.
Kamianske Eparchy honors Dnipro Icon of the Mother of God for first time
A festive service was held at a cathedral in Kamianske, where the Dnipro Icon of the Mother of God was brought out for veneration by the faithful for the first time.
Kyiv conscription officers abduct UOC priest
TRC officers reportedly abducted Maksym Kostiuchenko, a cleric of a UOC church in the Ukrainian capital.
Court grants DESS lawsuit to dissolve UOC’s Rovenky Eparchy
The appeals court partially granted the DESS lawsuit seeking to dissolve the Rovenky Eparchy but rejected the request to seize its property, citing a gap in Ukrainian legislation.
Met. Meletiy consecrates house of worship for UOC community in Dankivtsi
Members of the persecuted UOC Intercession parish in Dankivtsi have converted a house into a place for communal prayer and worship services.