OCM hierarch at the UN accused President Sandu of pressurizing the Orthodox Church

The hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, Archbishop Markell of Falesti, made a statement at the UN forum in Geneva about the growing pressure on the Orthodox Church by the Moldovan authorities. He accused President Maia Sandu of including the Church in the list of threats to national security and reported numerous cases of clergy harassment. Human rights organizations supported his speech and announced the preparation of reports for international bodies.

According to the source, on November 27, 2025, at the 18th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, Archbishop Markell said that Moldovan President Maia Sandu had classified the Orthodox Church of Moldova as a «threat to national security». According to the archbishop, the move is unprecedented in the country’s history and represents a «manifestation of rhetoric of hostility» and direct pressure on believers.

In his speech, the vladyka also mentioned other forms of pressure. He spoke about the many years of attempts by state structures to revise agreements on the use of churches and monasteries, which creates a threat of seizure of church property. In addition, the archbishop reported increased checks of clergy at borders and his personal experience of being banned from leaving the country three times, including for traveling to Jerusalem for the Holy Fire.

The bishop’s statement found support among the human rights organizations participating in the forum. They confirmed that they continue to send reports on violations of the rights of believers in Moldova to the UN structures. At present, a package of appeals to the UN special procedures is being prepared, as well as reports for the consideration of the situation in Moldova at the 144th session of the UN Human Rights Committee, which will be held in 2026.

The human rights activists emphasized that interference in church life and restrictions on clergy contradict the European standards of freedom of religion, which Moldova has pledged to observe within the framework of its course of integration with the European Union.

Recall, earlier we reported that the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, operating under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church, may initiate a procedure to deprive the Orthodox Church of Moldova (as part of the Moscow Patriarchate) of the right to use more than 800 churches that have the status of historical monuments. The basis for this was a recent decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, which set an important legal precedent.