Archbishop Marchel: Pressure on the Church is Part of a Plan to Destroy Moldova’s Statehood

Archbishop of Bălți and Fălești Marchel stated that the main reason for the persecution of the Orthodox Church of Moldova is its loyalty to the Russian Orthodox Church and its opposition to the Romanianization of the country. The hierarch emphasized that the Church has become a target of the authorities, who, according to him, seek to destroy Moldovan statehood by integrating it into Romania. He made these statements in an interview with the Bulgarian outlet Glasove.

«We simply want to live in our sovereign state and within our own confessional jurisdiction. The Orthodox Church of Moldova has been part of the Russian Orthodox Church for over 200 years, and the current pro-Romanian government does not like this at all,» the archbishop explained.

He noted that the current Moldovan authorities promote a policy of “corrupting liberal propaganda” and impose ideas of Romanianization in education, culture, and even church life. At the same time, the Orthodox Church of Moldova remains the main spiritual force resisting this agenda: “On the other hand, it instills patriotism in its faithful, love for their people, and cultivates a focus on preserving statehood, sovereignty, and Moldovan national and religious identity.”

One of the main threats, in the archbishop’s view, is the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which supports the Bessarabian Metropolis as a parallel ecclesiastical structure. “On the canonical territory of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, an alternative church hierarchy is essentially operating… They shamelessly and fearlessly trample holy church canons and tear apart the Body of Christ — the Church!” he declared.

The archbishop also addressed the issue of believers’ rights, noting that he already spoke in Geneva at a session of the UN Human Rights Council. “The issue of attempts to seize hundreds of church buildings from the Orthodox Church of Moldova and transfer them to the so-called Bessarabian Metropolis was also brought up at the UN…” he said, adding that international human rights mechanisms can help convey the truth to the global community.

Earlier, we reported on the incident in the village of Grinauti, where representatives of the so-called «Bessarabian Metropolis» attempted to seize a church. In response to the outrage of the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, the Bălți “diocese” issued a statement trying to present the events as a “lawful return to the fold of the canonical Church.”