Archbishop Markell of Bălți Joins International Church Alliance

Archbishop Markell of Bălți and Fălești has joined the Coordinating Council of the international human rights Alliance “Church Against Xenophobia and Discrimination.” The Alliance brings together hierarchs of Local Orthodox Churches and representatives of civil society who jointly stand against religious intolerance and violations of believers’ rights. This was reported by the Telegram channel Orthodox Moldova and the World.

In addition to Archbishop Markell, the Coordinating Council includes:

– Metropolitan Theodosius (Snihyrev), ruling hierarch of the Cherkasy and Kaniv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church;
– Metropolitan Timotheos of Vostra (Margaritis), Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Cyprus, Jerusalem Patriarchate;
– Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia (Hanna), Jerusalem Patriarchate;
– Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany (Arndt), First Deputy Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR);
– Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech (Dinev), Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The international human rights Alliance “Church Against Xenophobia and Religious Discrimination” was established in December 2023 at the initiative of a number of Orthodox hierarchs, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations that hold consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

It was previously reported that Archbishop Markell of Bălți and Fălești made a strong appeal in defense of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, noting that the Moldovan authorities have been actively persecuting clergy for their pilgrimage trips. In his statement, the Archbishop emphasized that not only trips to Russia have been used as a pretext for pressure, but also political repression of the Church in the form of fines and sanctions against the spiritual activities of priests.