Moldova's Liberal Party Calls for Ban on Metropolis Over Ties with the ROC

Illustrative image of a temple of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, a cross, and a judge's gavel. Photo: UOJ.

Moldova's Liberal Party has called on parliament to oblige the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova of the Orthodox Church of Moldova to sever its canonical ties with the ROC, and in the event of refusal, to declare it outlawed, reports Cotidianul.

The liberals proposed adopting a special law that would effectively allow the state to interfere in the internal structure of the country's largest Orthodox confession. The authors of the initiative described the metropolis's affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate as "an instrument of foreign influence" and "a threat to national security."

As an example, the party cited Estonia, where authorities demanded that the local Orthodox church structure sever its ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. In the liberals' view, similar restrictions must be introduced in Moldova under the pretext of protecting the country's European course.

The statement also contained accusations against Patriarch Kirill and the clergy of the Moldovan Metropolis. Party representatives claim that certain clergymen allegedly disseminate ideas contrary to the national interests of the republic.

At the same time, the liberals expressed support for the Metropolis of Bessarabia of the Romanian Orthodox Church and linked criticism directed at it to a struggle over more than 800 churches and monasteries holding the status of historical monuments.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Moldovan Church declared a media attack on its Primate.

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