Bălți, Moldova, September 23, 2025
Photo: Diocese of Bălți and Fălești
His Eminence Archbishop Marchell of Bălți and Fălești of the Moldovan Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has directly appealed to US Vice President J.D. Vance for intervention against escalating persecution by Moldovan authorities.
During an interview with American and British journalists, Abp. Marchell made an urgent plea:
Dear Vice President of the United States, Mr. Vance, the whole world knows that you advocate for traditional values, the traditional family, and traditional Christian upbringing of the younger generation. In this sense, we are absolutely identical to you. We advocate for the same values, which is precisely why the Orthodox Church is constrained and persecuted. We are promised that PAS, our ruling regime, will win the elections on September 28th, and they will outlaw us. They will exclude an entire religious organization like the Orthodox Church of Moldova from legislation. And therefore, I wanted to appeal to you with a request. I ask you, dear Vice President, to intervene. Help us defend our traditional Church. It is very easy for you, but it is very important for us.
The appeal comes days after reports that VP Vance confronted Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople about the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which he has been silent about.
Travel restrictions and harassment
Abp. Marchell was detained at Chișinău airport three times in recent months. During Holy Week, he was twice prevented from traveling to Jerusalem to retrieve the Holy Fire, and later blocked from pilgrimage to Turkey.
The hierarch compared current authorities to Stalin, warning of potential provocations: “I can’t rule out that you’ll hear that either in my car or in my house, they found either weapons, or drugs, or some other forbidden things.”
In June, authorities banned the Orthodox Church from holding a Pentecost procession while supporting LGBTQ Pride week. President Maia Sandu has accused Russian Orthodox clergy of spreading propaganda and influencing elections, though no specific evidence has been provided.
International concern
Belgian MEP Barbara Bonte submitted an inquiry to the European Commission questioning whether Moldova’s treatment of religious minorities is compatible with European values. The inquiry cited a Lithuanian human rights report presented to the UN Human Rights Council documenting “discriminatory policies conducted by Moldovan authorities against the Orthodox Church of the Republic of Moldova, canonically connected to the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated it will investigate the travel restrictions. As Moldova approaches parliamentary elections on September 28, the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity has intensified rhetoric against the Orthodox Church, claiming clergy interfere in elections through “pro-Russian narratives.”
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
