Moldova’s Orthodox Church could be stripped of 800 churches – media

Chișinău Court of Appeal. Photo: newtv.md

A decision issued by the Chisinau Court of Appeal on November 25, 2025 could trigger a large-scale seizure of churches from the Orthodox Church of Moldova. As the portal “Život Crkve” reports, as many as 800 church buildings currently used by the Orthodox Church of Moldova may be at risk.

The case concerns a single rural parish – yet in practice it forms a precedent of nationwide significance. The court overturned a refusal by the Public Services Agency (ASP) and upheld the lower court’s ruling, under which the state is obligated to annul the Orthodox Church of Moldova’s right of use to a church if a parish community declares a “transfer” to the Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Patriarchate – even without the consent of the Church’s leadership.

At the center of the dispute is the parish of the village of Dubăsarii Vechi and its rector, Archpriest Teodor Pelin. In 2023 the community announced it was leaving the Orthodox Church of Moldova and joining the Bessarabian Metropolis, but ran into legal obstacles: the historic church building, dating from 1861, was registered in the cadastre under the central structure of the Moldovan Metropolis of the ROC. The cadastre refused to change the entry without the consent of Metropolitan Vladimir.

The November 25 ruling effectively “cut the knot,” recognizing that a mere declaration of a change in jurisdiction is sufficient to deprive the Orthodox Church of Moldova of rights to the church property. Lawyers note that this places in doubt the 2003 Agreement between the Moldovan Metropolis and the Ministry of Culture, under which more than 800 religious heritage sites were handed over to the Church for free use.

Within the Orthodox Church of Moldova, representatives attempted to reduce the sense of alarm, stating that “the dispute concerns one object,” and promising to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Justice. However, representatives of the Bessarabian Metropolis openly speak of a judicial precedent being established – one that would allow the Orthodox Church of Moldova’s property rights to be revised on a mass scale.

Experts link what is happening to the course taken by Moldova’s authorities. Earlier, analysts close to the government directly called for “clarifying” relations with the Orthodox Church of Moldova, labeling it a “toxic legacy.” Now, observers say, a “legal war” is being launched, with the main instrument being the seizure of churches.

According to the outlet’s forecast, a wave of lawsuits may soon follow – filed by priests who have already transferred to the Bessarabian Metropolis – along with intensified financial pressure: the Romanian side is offering support and funding only to those parishes that sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The situation around the church in Dubăsarii Vechi, commentators stress, goes far beyond a local dispute. What is at stake is a fundamental reconfiguration of church–state relations in Moldova, in which the canonical Church becomes a hostage to political and ideological projects, while the rights of believers and the Church’s canons are pushed into the background.

As the UOJ previously reported, Sandu attended a session of the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Moldova.

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