RomOC condems Moldovan Metropolis for defrocking clerics who defected

The building of the Bessarabian Metropolis in Chisinau. Photo: rupor.md

On November 11, 2025, the Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church published an official statement on its website, criticizing the decision of the Synod of the Moldovan Metropolis to defrock 11 clerics who left the Cahul and Comrat Eparchy.

The text claims that the statement of the Moldovan Metropolis "contains errors and is misleading", and the very name "Orthodox Church of Moldova" is used incorrectly. Representatives of the Bessarabian Metropolis also expressed dissatisfaction with the official communication of the Synod, which condemned the clergy's involvement in politics.

The statement from the Romanian Orthodox Church states that the decisions to defrock "have no force" concerning those priests who have been under the jurisdiction of the Bessarabian Metropolis for several years and, according to their version, "do not belong to the jurisdiction of the Moldovan Metropolis".

The publication contains criticism of the Moldovan Metropolis: it is accused of "double standards", "interference in political processes", and internal instability.

The message from the Bessarabian Metropolis also contains a call for representatives of the Moldovan Metropolis to "repent" and a statement that Chisinau's actions are "interference in the life of another church jurisdiction."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that 11 priests in Moldova were defrocked for defecting to the Romanian Church.

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