The new head of the Metropolis of Bessarabia presided over the first meeting of the Archdiocese of Chisinau

Just one day after his enthronement, the newly elected Metropolitan of Bessarabia and Archbishop of Chișinău, Anthony, held the first meeting of the Standing Committee of the Diocesan Council. According to the Vima Orthodoxias web , the meeting took place on July 13, 2026, at the metropolitanate’s administrative center in Chisinau.

During the meeting, the main focus was on identifying key priorities for the further development of the diocese’s pastoral, missionary, and administrative activities. Metropolitan Anthony expressed his gratitude to the council members for their contribution to church ministry and called for a consolidation of efforts in working on current social and educational projects.

Special attention was given in the agenda to expanding the Church’s presence in public life. The bishop emphasized the need to strengthen the institution of military and hospital chaplains, which will enable the establishment of regular pastoral care in medical facilities, schools, correctional facilities, as well as in military and police units.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Metropolitan Anthony called on the diocesan leadership to actively cooperate with government agencies, educational institutions, and civil society. According to him, the Church’s primary mission is to promote Christian values and to serve people continuously within the context of modern social realities.

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.