The Russian Orthodox Church Reacts to the Pressure from the Moldovan Government on the OCM

The Russian Orthodox Church has protested the imposition of fines on the priests of the Orthodox Church of Moldova (OCM) who participated in a pilgrimage to Russia. Vachtang Kipshidze, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and the Media of the Moscow Patriarchate, described these actions as «a gross interference in the internal affairs of the Church» and a violation of religious freedom. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

The pilgrimage, which took place in August and September of the previous year, included around 300 priests from ОCM and aimed to exchange pastoral service experiences, strengthen spiritual ties, and foster brotherly relations between the Churches. However, after returning from the trip, Moldovan priests faced fines for fabricated accusations. Archbishop Markell (Mihăescu) of Bălți and Fălești reported to local media that the priests were fined for allegedly «destabilizing» the situation in the country and «buying votes in the elections.»

Vachtang Kipshidze emphasized that these actions are part of ongoing pressure on the church hierarchy and priests in Moldova, who seek to maintain brotherly ties with their Orthodox brethren in Russia. «We consider this a gross violation of the principle of religious freedom,» he added in his statement to RIA Novosti.

The situation with fines for Moldovan priests has drawn attention to attempts to limit the freedom of religious ties, which the Russian Orthodox Church views as interference in Church affairs.

It is worth noting that Archbishop Markell of Bălți and Fălești issued a strong call to protect the Orthodox Church of Moldova, emphasizing that Moldovan authorities are actively persecuting priests for their pilgrimage trips. In his address, the archbishop underlined that not only the trips to Russia have become a reason for persecution, but also political pressure on the Church in the form of fines and repression for the priests’ spiritual activities.