The Bessarabian Metropolis has selected candidates for the position of head of the department

The Synod of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which is part of the Romanian Patriarchate, has selected two candidates to fill the vacant see of Metropolitan of Bessarabia. The decision was made during a recent meeting of the church body, according to a press release from the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The candidates for the high office are Bishop Anthony (Telembich) of Bălți and Bishop Benjamin (Goryanu) of Southern Bessarabia. The nomination process included consultations and a secret ballot among Synod members, as well as a meeting of the hierarchs with representatives of the clergy and laity from the dioceses of Chișinău, Bălți, and Southern Bessarabia.

According to the statutes of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the approved list of candidates will be submitted to the Holy Synod for consideration. It is expected that the Synod may add a third candidate to the list, after which a final secret ballot will be held.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Bessarabian Metropolis, operating under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church, may initiate proceedings to strip the Orthodox Church of Moldova (part of the Moscow Patriarchate) of its right to use more than 800 churches that have the status of historical monuments. The basis for this was a recent decision by the Chisinau Court of Appeals, which set an important legal precedent.