Moldovan Metropolitan Church Retains Its Current Status

Metropolitan Vladimir called a meeting with all the archpriests after receiving a letter from a group of priests proposing to withdraw from subordination to the Russian Orthodox Church and come under the patronage of the Romanian Church. A representative of the Moldovan Metropolitan Church stated after the meeting that the institution subordinate to Russian Patriarch Kirill retains its status. “We refute this erroneous position propagated in the media. During the meeting, a decision was taken according to which the Orthodox Church in Moldova retains its current status,” a representative of the Metropolitan Church said. “The clergy and people remain faithful to the Orthodox Church of Moldova and His Holiness Metropolitan Vladimir. Discussions about the Orthodox Church of Moldova joining the Romanian Patriarchate or any other structure will not be initiated,” the Metropolitan’s representative said. He added that the meeting was not convened to respond to the letter of Priest Pavel Borsevschi and that it was “a regular meeting of the diocesan council in an extended format.” “This topic was also considered and the decision I reported was made,” the priest also said. Asked what will be the reaction of the Moldovan Metropolitanate to priests who nevertheless decide to join the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, the representative of the Moldovan Metropolitanate noted that the position of the institution remained unchanged. “The parishes and priests who join the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia will be canonically authorized.”