Archbishop Markell of Balti and Falesti spoke about the difficulties faced by Orthodox believers in Moldova, about the challenges and threats to the unity of canonical Orthodoxy in Moldova after Maia Sandu and her Action and Solidarity party came to power, in his interview to “Khrizma” Center.

Vladyka Markell spoke about the methods of the Romanian side to advance their interests in the church sphere: “The Orthodox Church of Moldova is often called the southwestern gate of Russian Orthodoxy. And Romania is actively choosing the keys to these gates, using proven tactics – it spends a lot of money to expand its influence over the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church. Romanians control large media outlets, which allows them to harshly criticize all those who disagree with the pro-Romanian vector of the country’s development.

The Romanian state through the Church pays each so-called priest of the “Bessarabian Metropolia” about 450-600 euros per month. For a transfer from the Orthodox Church of Moldova, a priest receives about 2,000 euros. And the way back for the passed priest is very difficult, because he signs certain obligations to the Romanian Church, ”said the hierarch.

One of the main problems of church life in Moldova is the schism that has existed for several decades. In addition to the canonical Orthodox Church of Moldova, operating under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, the so-called “Bessarabian Metropolis” functions in the country, created non-canonically by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. The activities of this structure are actively supported by the Romanian state, which considers the “Bessarabian Metropolitanate” Moldova of unionist sentiments among the population.