Moldova Struggles to Secure Church Respect for Coronavirus Restrictions

As of April 14, COVID-19 had killed 36 people in the former Soviet republic.

But not everyone in the church is falling into line. According to Moldovan media reports, and the Moldovan authorities themselves, church services have been held up and down the country.

The Bishop Petru of Ungheni and Nisporeni took a photo with the pilots before the flight. Photo: The Episcopate of Ungheni and Nisporeni Facebook page

Sanctions have been sporadic, reflecting the Orthodox church's popularity and influence and the sensitivity of the moment with presidential elections due later in the year.

Expert Victor Gotisan said that while some clerics "did not understand the severity of the disease", others felt able to ignore the government's orders "due to the fact that the Church understood that nothing could happen to it, given this institution's flirtation with politics."

Shared communion spoon

According to official data, almost 97 per cent of people in Moldova identify as Orthodox Christian, with the overwhelming majority followers of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The church regularly polls ahead of political leaders in terms of trust, leading many politicians to curry favour with clerics, particularly ahead of elections.

An old woman take a holy communion during a divine service on the first Sunday of the Nativity Fast at the Assumption of the God's Mother Monastery in the village of Capriana, Moldova, December 8, 2018. Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

It is precisely this power and influence, experts say, that has allowed priests to ignore the COVID-19 restrictions, with independent media in Moldova reporting that religious ceremonies have been held in the courtyards...