Metropolitan Vladimir of Moldova Appeals to Romanian Patriarch for Dialogue Over Defecting Priests to Metropolis of Bessarabia
His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova – Moldovan Orthodox Church
OCP News Service – 09/03/2024
Chişinău – Moldova: The Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova, His Beatitude Vladimir, has written a letter to the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, expressing concern over ongoing tensions between the two churches.
The letter is in response to the decision of Holy Synod of Romania to reaffirm that all Romanian Orthodox clerics and their flocks from the Republic of Moldova who return to the Metropolis of Bessarabia are canonical clerics and blessed believers, and any disciplinary sanction directed against them on the grounds of their membership of the Romanian Orthodox Church is considered null and void, according to synod decision no—8090 of December 19, 1992.
Key Points of the Letter to Romanian Patriarch:
- Division and Disunity: Metropolitan Vladimir laments the division within the Moldovan Orthodox Church, viewing it as a tool used by politicians and a detriment to believers.
- Financial Concerns: The letter criticizes the financial incentives allegedly offered to priests to join the Metropolis of Bessarabia, a church structure affiliated with the Romanian Orthodox Church.
- Accusations and Concerns: The Metropolitan accuses the Metropolis of Bessarabia of harboring priests “stopped or chastised for serious moral misconduct” and of lacking transparency in its dealings.
- Call for Dialogue: Metropolitan Vladimir expresses a desire for open communication and cooperation with the Romanian Church to restore peace, obedience, and canonical order.
The letter emphasizes that the priority should be the spiritual well-being of the faithful, not the competition between church structures.
Source:
OCP News Service
