Moldovan law enforcement officials did not allow another bishop of the Moldovan Orthodox Church to leave the country

The Moldovan government continues to exert pressure on the Orthodox Church of Moldova (OCM). This time, the hierarch of the OCM, Bishop Nicolae (Roshka) of Chadir-Lungu, was not allowed to leave Moldova after an unfounded search was conducted at the Chisinau airport. The search of the bishop lasted until the boarding of the flight on which Bishop Nicolae planned to travel to Uzbekistan was completed. This was reported by the Telegram channel sare și lumină || Ortodoxia în Moldova.

It is reported that Bishop Nicolae was traveling to Uzbekistan to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the consecration of Metropolitan Vikentiy (Morari) of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, a native of Moldova. However, without explanation, the hierarch was detained at the Chisinau airport customs and subjected to a lengthy inspection, which lasted until the flight on which the bishop planned to fly to Tashkent left the runway.

It is noted that earlier, Archbishop Markell (Mihăescu) of Bălți and Fălești, who was going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, was twice denied exit from the country in a similar manner. That is, the chosen method of pressure on the hierarchs of the Moldovan Orthodox Church is systematic.

It should be noted that Moldovan media report that the Moldovan authorities plan to ban the activities of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, copying the approaches of the Ukrainian authorities. According to sources, such a step could not only deepen the schism among believers, but also destabilize society by undermining the spiritual foundations of many citizens of the country.