The Metropolitan of Moldova Threatened to Stop Praying for Chicu. What Does the Church Require

Home / News / The Metropolitan of Moldova Threatened to Stop Praying for Chicu. What Does the Church Require
The Metropolitan of Moldova asks the authorities to allow religious services inside the churches. Otherwise, the clergy threatened that they would not pray for the leadership of the country. This is stated in a letter sent by Metropolis to Prime Minister Ion Chicu. “With deep sorrow and regret, we familiarized ourselves with the new provisions of the National Public Health Commission on restrictions on church services, valid until June 30 this year. (...) We believe that restricting participation of believers in church services should be reviewed and they should be given the opportunity to pray in churches, as they have done so far,” the Synod says. The metropolis also called on the authorities to sit at the negotiating table. “Otherwise, we assume the canonical and moral right to exclude mentioning you in church prayers. Do not fight against the church because Christ protects it,” the Metropolitan’s message says. Recall that in Moldova, due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus, priests were allowed to conduct services only in the open air - in the courtyards of churches. In addition, all parishioners and clergy were required to wear masks and maintain a social distance.