DISINFORMATION: Moldovans have always opposed the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Metropolitanate of Moldova will lose its autonomy if it becomes subordinated to the Romanian Patriarchate. A similar decision taken in 1918 was opposed by Moldovan churchgoers, the diocese of a pro-Russian clergyman says.

NEWS: According to the censuses conducted over the years, most citizens oppose Moldova’s unification with Romania. Given that Moldova’s citizens have confirmed the country’s independence, it is purely logical that the Church’s independence should also be preserved, as provided by the Russian Orthodox Church to the Orthodox Church of Moldova.

[…]

The canonical territory of our country had been subordinated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople prior to 1812, when it was integrated into the Russian Orthodox Church. At the time, the Romanian Patriarchate didn’t even exist, as it was founded only a hundred years later. Therefore, the idea that the integration of the Moldovan Metropolitanate into the Romanian Patriarchate would be a reunification of canonical territory is wrong. Moreover, neither has the Patriarchate of Constantinople any claim to the said territory, as the maximum limitation period for settling canonical territory claims is 30 years.

[...]

Ever since the 20^th century, attempts at creating the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia produced few results. People would rather stay away from Church than unite with the Romanian Patriarchate, which would be a schism, a sin not even martyr blood could wash away.

NARRATIVES: 1. Historically speaking, the Orthodox Church of Moldova is closer to the Russian Patriarchate rather than the Romanian Patriarchate. 2. Moving the Metropolitanate of Moldova into the subordination of the Romanian Patriarchate will not enjoy popular support, just as it happened in 1918.

BACKGROUND: Right now, two Orthodox Churches are operating in the Republic of Moldova, each with its dedicated Metropolitanate: the Metropolitanate of Chișinău and All Moldova (the Metropolitanate of Moldova), subordinated to the Russian Patriarchate, which was created after the annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812, and the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, subordinated to the Romanian Orthodox Church, whose status was officially recognized in 2022 following a ruling of the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR).

Over the years, the two metropolitanates have each claimed rights of succession over the churches and church assets in the territory of Moldova. At times, disputes escalated into violence. The issue has been brought to the fore again following a letter the Metropolitan of Moldova, Vladimir, dispatched to the Russian Patriarch Kirill in September. In this letter, Vladimir criticizes the attitude of the Russian Patriarchate towards the Metropolitanate of Moldova and Moldovans in general, arguing that the Patriarchate of Moscow is regarded as an outpost of the Kremlin in the context of the war in Ukraine. The document also mentions the Latin origin of Moldovans and warns (in a very conspiratorial vein) that the great powers have decreed that Moldova must unite with Romania. The Metropolitan of Chișinău also writes that the Metropolitanate of Chișinău is losing ground to the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

The letter was given different interpretations at the time. One such scenario states these are the first steps to take the Metropolitanate of Moldova from its subordination to the Russian Patriarchate, or that this was an action whereby Metropolitan Vladimir hoped to achieve more independence.

A new episode of this story unfolded last week, when an influential priest of the Metropolitanate of Moldova, Pavel Borșevschi, wrote a letter on behalf of other priests to Metropolitan Vladimir, asking him to examine the possibility of moving the Metropolitanate of Moldova into the subordination of the Romanian Patriarchate. A synod was called to analyze the request, deciding however that Metropolitanate of Moldova will continue to be a part of the Patriarchate of Russia.

Meanwhile, according to Europa Liberă, over 60 clergymen of the Metropolitanate of Moldova have switched to the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia since the start of the Russian invasion, and their numbers continue to grow.

The Metropolitanate of Moldova is considered one of the sources of Russian leverage in the Republic of Moldova, and its second-most renowned exponent, after Vladimir, is the Archbishop of Bălți and Fălești, Marchel, known for his anti-Western statements and positions. A 2018 study titled “Disinformation resilience in Central and Eastern Europe” showed that devout parishioners of the Orthodox Church subordinated to the Russian Patriarchate are among the social categories that are most exposed to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

PURPOSE: To prevent a possible rapprochement / integration of the Metropolitanate of Moldova into the Romanian Patriarchate.

WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The theses promoted by the Diocese of Bălți and Fălești stem from the debunked narrative claiming that only under the protection of the Russian Patriarchate can the Metropolitanate of Moldova “enjoy” certain autonomy. However, since talks with the Romanian Patriarchate have not yet started, we do not know what will be required of the Orthodox Church of Moldova to accomplish this move.

Secondly, the claims about alleged popular disgruntlement in the wake of moving the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia into the subordination of the Romanian Patriarchate in 1918 are refuted by information published on the official website of the Metropolitanate of Moldova. Upon examining the history of the Metropolitanate of Moldova, we can infer that the Orthodox Church in the Republic of Moldova underwent a Russification process in the mid-19^th century, which sparked public discontentment. “In 1971, Atonie Socotov dies, leaving Pavel (Lebedev) at the helm of the Church in Bessarabia”.

Pavel’s spell at the top of the Metropolitanate of Moldova was marred by controversy. It was during this period that the denationalization policy took off in Bessarabia. The first step in that direction came when Pavel ordered churches and monasteries that previously provided only Romanian-language religious services to hold mass in both languages, Russian and Romanian (Moldovan). Starting 1871, the official gazette of the diocese was published only in Russian. According to Russian writer Durnovo, “all holy books in Moldovan churches, written in Moldovan in the Cyrillic script, were brought to the Metropolitanate of Chișinău, where Metropolitan Pavel burned them for seven years to keep the Metropolitanate Palace warm.

His reassignment in 1882 was met with great joy across the entire Bessarabia.

Lebedev’s successor was Serghie (Lapidevschi), who made great efforts to appease the turmoil produced by his predecessor’s reckless policies”.

The same text states that the Orthodox Church in Bessarabia was awarded the status of Metropolitanate by the Russian Empire only in August 1917, months before the latter’s demise. Conversely, after Bessarabia’s unification with Romania, the Church was given the option to choose its allegiance. “Following Bessarabia’s political unification with Romania under the gramota (formal decree) issued by Saint Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow on May 23, 1918 in the name of His Eminence Pimen, the primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Church of Bessarabia is provided with complete autonomy to decide its own fate in the Diocese Congress, opting to develop relations with any autocephalous church of its choosing”.

In the interwar period, Orthodox Christians in Moldova were significantly privileged by comparison to their counterparts from the former USSR, the Metropolitanate of Moldova also writes. “While the life of the faithful in Bessarabia was taking its natural course, the situation of Orthodox Christians on the left bank of the Dniester was deplorable under the communist yoke, sharing the martyrlike fate of the other Christian nations ruled by Bolshevik atheists”.