Metropolis of Bessarabia

In Moldovan Church ‘Gesture’, Some See Favouritism, or Possible Precedent

The move, however, has been criticised as discriminatory, favouring one religious community over myriad others that were snuffed out under Soviet rule and had their properties seized by the state.

Currently, Moldovan law does not provide for restitution of property claimed by legal entities, only private individuals.

Russian Patriarch Awards Honour to Moldovan President

Russian Patriarch Kirill presented President Igor Dodon with a Russian religious order on Wednesday on the first day of the Moldovan leader's official visit to Moscow.

"His Holiness gave me the Order of St. Sergius de Radonezh, in the second degree, for the active support shown for the public initiatives of the Orthodox Church in Moldova," Dodon wrote on Facebook.

Romania to Give Moldovan Clergy Diplomatic Passports

Romania says it will issue 14 working and diplomatic passports to clergy of the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia, which is canonically subordinate to the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church in the former Soviet republic is split between the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and the Metropolitan Church of Moldova, which is subordinate to the Moscow Partriarchate.