Chișinău, September 9, 2024
mitropolia.md
The Moldovan Orthodox Church is calling for the state to stop pressuring the Church.
“The Church feels pressures similar to those from the Soviet period. More and more threats are being thrown at the Church and its servants,” writes His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Chișinău and All Moldova.
The Metropolitan’s statement refers to the recent statement of MP Vasile Șoimaru that the state could ban the Moldovan Orthodox Church, a self-ruling Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (which several political authorities, including the President of Moldova, have refuted).
The response of Met. Vladimir explains the illegality of such plans and highlights the historical and current role of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in the life of the country.
And recounting the state pressure against the Church and its representatives, the Metropolitan calls to “cease the moral torture of the Church.”
Read Met. Vladimir’s full statement:
On behalf of the Synod of the Moldovan Orthodox Church (MOC), we express our deep concern regarding the recent statements made by Mr. Vasile Șoimaru, a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, during a television broadcast, according to which there is a possibility of banning the activity of the Metropolis of Moldova.
The legal dissolution of the Orthodox Church of Moldova would infringe upon the right of religious conscience expression of all Orthodox believers of this Church, who would find themselves unable to attend their Church. The Law on Religious Cults No. 125/2007, the legal framework under which cults operate in the Republic of Moldova, stipulates that propagating religious hatred and religious intolerance manifested through acts that hinder the free exercise of a religious cult constitutes a crime and is punishable by law. By all legal standards, promoting the idea of dissolving a cult following the Ukrainian model represents an act of religious intolerance, manifested in the public space.
The considerations of the ECHR show us that a proposal to outlaw the Metropolis of Moldova would fall under the ECHR decision, by which the Moldovan state has already been condemned for a similar action of not recognizing the right of a cult to exist. Such a proposal should be rejected from the start by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova.
Article 15 of the law on cults stipulates that these are autonomous from the state, are equal before the law, and cannot be discriminated against. Also, the state is obliged not to intervene in the religious activity of a cult. Paragraph 5 of the same article clearly states: The state recognizes the special importance and primordial role of the Christian Orthodox religion and, respectively, of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in the life, history, and culture of the people of the Republic of Moldova.
The proposal to outlaw the Moldovan Orthodox Church flagrantly contradicts this legal recognition of the MOC’s role in the life, history, and culture of our country’s people.
The Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova is an ecclesiastical institution with a long history, playing an essential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of our people. Its statute clearly mentions the independence of the Moldovan Orthodox Church (Metropolis of Moldova), which carries out its activity in accordance with Orthodox Christian canons and tradition.
We are deeply outraged by the attitude of certain state institutions involved in intimidating priests. Priests are visited at home by representatives of law enforcement agencies and coerced into signing various unclear statements. Some hierarchs and servants have been detained at border crossing points and thoroughly searched without grounds. Today, the Church feels pressures similar to those from the Soviet period. More and more threats are being thrown at the Church and its servants.
Since the formation of the Republic of Moldova, the Orthodox Church of Moldova has stood by the citizens, advocating for the independence and sovereignty of our state. Also, the Metropolis has always promoted good relations with our neighbors, as demonstrated in the first days of the war in Ukraine, when the Church was one of the first institutions to come to the aid of refugees from Ukraine, offering them accommodation in monasteries and all necessities.
We are convinced that in a state governed by the rule of law, where democratic values and religious freedom are respected, there can be no question of banning a religious institution that significantly contributes to preserving national values and identity.
We call on state authorities to cease the moral torture of the Church. Otherwise, if these persecutions do not stop, we commit to bringing you face to face with the righteous people of Moldova, for you to explain to them why you are vehemently striking at the Church of our nation.
We call for calm and discernment in approaching such sensitive subjects and invite all those involved in public life to promote dialogue and mutual understanding, thus avoiding any form of incitement to hatred or division.
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