Head of Romanian Church’s Metropolis of Bessarabia resigns

Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia asked to be relieved of his duties as Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia. Photo: newsmaker

On May 30, it became known that Metropolitan Petru, head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia of the Romanian Orthodox Church, had submitted a request to retire for health reasons, according to the metropolis’ official website.

According to the published information, the hierarch asked to be relieved of his duties as Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia from June 1, 2026. In connection with this, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church appointed Metropolitan Teofan of Moldova and Bukovina as interim locum tenens until a new head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia is elected.

The press service of the Metropolis of Bessarabia confirmed that Metropolitan Petru left his post because of advanced age and health problems. Representatives of the metropolis also said the decision to step down had been made on May 27.

Metropolitan Petru is one of the most prominent figures of Romanian Orthodoxy in Moldova. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he played a key role in restoring the activity of the Metropolis of Bessarabia under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate and led it for more than three decades.

The future hierarch received his theological education at the Odesa Theological Seminary and, in 1990, was consecrated a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church by Patriarch Alexy II. A year later, he transferred to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church, where he would later head the Metropolis of Bessarabia.

In recent days, Metropolitan Petru’s name has drawn attention in the Romanian media following publications that caused broad public resonance.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Moldovan court had ruled signatures for the transfer of a church to the Romanian Church to be forged.

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