Congratulations for the professional way in which you keep us informed about everything that happens in Moldavia!
Related to your last post, I would still add a clarification regarding the chapter "WHO Pays to Print 100,000 Icons for the Orthodox Church":
In the state of the Republic of Moldavia there are two autonomous Orthodox churches, but no autocephalous Moldavian one:
The Metropolitanate of Chisinau and All (!) Moldavia, part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Most of the Orthodox believers in the country still belong to this church. Politically partisan, anti-vaccine, anti-Western, pro-Russian and pro-socialist. This church has replaced, since 1944, the old Orthodox church that existed here before the Russian occupation, and it mostly uses the old places of worship confiscated by the Bolshevik regime and not returned even to this day. This church observes the old-style Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the civil calendar.
On the other hand, there is also the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the Exarchate of the Plains, part of the Romanian Orthodox Church. About a quarter of the Orthodox believers in the country belong to this church - especially those who do not consider themselves Moldavians, but Bessarabian Romanians. Politically independent (even persecuted until recently), neutral towards anti-pandemic measures including the vaccine (but recommending believers to follow the advice of doctors and authorities), pro-Romanian and therefore pro-Western, anti-Russian and pro-democratic political formations . It is the official successor of the old Metropolis of Bessarabia existing here from 1918 until the Russian occupation of 1940/1944. Since he still hasn't recovered his assets and the churches he had before WWII, he started building new churches in 1992 - currently about 200 in the whole country (of which about 20 only in Chisinau), plus about 12 monasteries . In addition, the involvement of this metropolis in helping Ukrainian war refugees was and remains full and strong, especially through the "Diaconia" Social Mission. This church observes both the old-style Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the civil calendar, and (in some churches, at the request of the faithful) the new-style Gregorian calendar, which is the same as the civil calendar.
I give the above data only for a more accurate clarification, by no means for polemical purposes. It is fair to state that not all Orthodox Christians in the country are pro-Russian or anti-modernity...
But maybe the situation of cults in the Republic of Moldova will be the subject of a special episode of Deep dive (to which I would be happy to contribute...).
Until then, I wish you continued success and many thanks for the work you do!
Hi Tino - thanks so much for the clarification! Yes I think it would be good to do a deep dive into church politics in Moldova actually. I know about the basic split you mentioned but have little knowledge or insight into the Romanian Orthodox church in Moldova. Writing this article I was definitely 100% referring to the church under the Russian Patriarch.
This is interesting. I heard all the music from our village church along the river near Chisinau since they had a loudspeaker; was always a bit disappointed that the music sounded more Romanian than the more minor/tonal scales of the Russian church. However, don't know which Church it was affiliated with.
Hi Dave!
Congratulations for the professional way in which you keep us informed about everything that happens in Moldavia!
Related to your last post, I would still add a clarification regarding the chapter "WHO Pays to Print 100,000 Icons for the Orthodox Church":
In the state of the Republic of Moldavia there are two autonomous Orthodox churches, but no autocephalous Moldavian one:
The Metropolitanate of Chisinau and All (!) Moldavia, part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Most of the Orthodox believers in the country still belong to this church. Politically partisan, anti-vaccine, anti-Western, pro-Russian and pro-socialist. This church has replaced, since 1944, the old Orthodox church that existed here before the Russian occupation, and it mostly uses the old places of worship confiscated by the Bolshevik regime and not returned even to this day. This church observes the old-style Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the civil calendar.
On the other hand, there is also the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the Exarchate of the Plains, part of the Romanian Orthodox Church. About a quarter of the Orthodox believers in the country belong to this church - especially those who do not consider themselves Moldavians, but Bessarabian Romanians. Politically independent (even persecuted until recently), neutral towards anti-pandemic measures including the vaccine (but recommending believers to follow the advice of doctors and authorities), pro-Romanian and therefore pro-Western, anti-Russian and pro-democratic political formations . It is the official successor of the old Metropolis of Bessarabia existing here from 1918 until the Russian occupation of 1940/1944. Since he still hasn't recovered his assets and the churches he had before WWII, he started building new churches in 1992 - currently about 200 in the whole country (of which about 20 only in Chisinau), plus about 12 monasteries . In addition, the involvement of this metropolis in helping Ukrainian war refugees was and remains full and strong, especially through the "Diaconia" Social Mission. This church observes both the old-style Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the civil calendar, and (in some churches, at the request of the faithful) the new-style Gregorian calendar, which is the same as the civil calendar.
I give the above data only for a more accurate clarification, by no means for polemical purposes. It is fair to state that not all Orthodox Christians in the country are pro-Russian or anti-modernity...
But maybe the situation of cults in the Republic of Moldova will be the subject of a special episode of Deep dive (to which I would be happy to contribute...).
Until then, I wish you continued success and many thanks for the work you do!
Hi Tino - thanks so much for the clarification! Yes I think it would be good to do a deep dive into church politics in Moldova actually. I know about the basic split you mentioned but have little knowledge or insight into the Romanian Orthodox church in Moldova. Writing this article I was definitely 100% referring to the church under the Russian Patriarch.
Let's chat about this in the future!
This is interesting. I heard all the music from our village church along the river near Chisinau since they had a loudspeaker; was always a bit disappointed that the music sounded more Romanian than the more minor/tonal scales of the Russian church. However, don't know which Church it was affiliated with.
Have a lovely vacation. Here's some beach reading for you (or not)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2022/russia-fsb-intelligence-ukraine-war/