Metropolis of Bessarabia confirms Romania pays clergy in Moldova
Metropolitan Antonie, head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia. Photo: screenshot from Pro TV Chișinău
The new head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, Metropolitan Antonie (Telembici), acknowledged that Romania makes monthly payments to Moldovan clergy who have transferred from the Orthodox Church of Moldova to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
“Those clergy of the Metropolis of Bessarabia who do not have Romanian citizenship receive €300. Those who do have citizenship receive five hundred and something, I think,” Metropolitan Antonie said on Chișinău-based PRO TV.
According to him, the amount of the payment depends on whether the cleric holds a Romanian passport rather than on his ecclesiastical rank.
According to Moldovan media, around 60 priests have transferred to the Metropolis of Bessarabia since 2022. These transfers have regularly been accompanied by disputes over church buildings, with one of the most high-profile cases occurring in the village of Dereneu.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the new head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia had called on the Moldovan authorities to cooperate.
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