Romanian soldiers in priestly robes stormed Russian Orthodoxy in Moldova and Ukraine
The Romanian Patriarchate began an active offensive against the canonical territories of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine and Moldova. On February 29, the Synod of the Romanian Church decided to non-recognize the canonical punishments of Moldovan clergy admitted to the Bessarabian Metropolis without letters of leave of the Moldavian Metropolis as part of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as to establish the “Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine”, which will operate in the territory of the Chernivtsi region, which in Romania it is called “Northern Bukovina”.
On March 6, Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova, a member of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, addressed the Romanian Patriarch Daniel with a letter in benevolent but firm tones. He expressed serious concern about the unilateral actions of the Romanian Church, but at the same time emphasized the need for dialogue and unity in the face of the challenges facing the Christian world.
The next day, March 7, the most consistent bishop of the Moldavian Metropolis, Archbishop Markell of Balti and Falesti, addressed the clergy and believers.
“The dignitaries of Romania, who occupy high positions and are filled with high spirituality, take upon themselves the audacity—forgive me, but I want to emphasize this—the impudent audacity to resolve something that was not tied by them. Something that was connected by others. I draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about an unprecedented case in the life of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, when a foreign bishop from another Church dares to allow priests defrocked by the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Moldova,” noted Bishop Markell in his archpastoral address.
On the same day, the activities of Bucharest received a response from the Ukrainian schismatics. The Synod of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” sent appeals to Istanbul and Bucharest to Patriarchs Bartholomew and Daniel, in which they stated that “in accordance with the canonical order, only the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and no other, has canonical jurisdiction on the territory of Ukraine.”
On March 12, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church noted in its resolution that Bucharest’s actions in relation to the church territories of Ukraine and Moldova contradict church canons. According to the resolution of the Synod of the Russian Church, the actions of the Romanian Patriarchate, if implemented, “will inevitably entail grave consequences both for the bilateral relations of the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches, and for the unity of the Orthodox Church as a whole.”
The resolution of the Synod specifically notes that the priests who defected to the “Bessarabian Metropolis” in fact “never belonged to the latter, as well as to the Romanian Patriarchate as a whole.”
“They received holy orders in the Russian Orthodox Church and they suffered punishment for violating the priestly oath and other canonical crimes, and not at all “because of their belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church,” to which they cannot belong due to the lack of a letter of release,” - says the Resolution of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Nevertheless, the Romanian Patriarchate, taking advantage of the favorable geopolitical situation, firmly intends to continue to pursue its line. In Romania, the church is a subordinate structure of the state. Romanian priests are civil servants and receive a full social package from the state. In fact, we are talking about a state church. The goal of both secular and spiritual representatives of Bucharest is to take advantage of the moment of the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Russia and the West, and stake out as many territories as possible. An additional bonus should be the strengthening of the position of the Romanian Church among other local churches.
The ultimate goal of Bucharest is “Greater Romania”, supported by the ecclesiastical positions of the Romanian Patriarchate. This goal is reinforced by support from Washington and Paris. Now France, having abandoned de Gaulle’s legacy, is eager to take its place in the West’s strike force against Russia and its influence.
However, Bucharest, despite all the seemingly favorable times, will face insurmountable obstacles. First, these are Ukrainian rivals for Western attention. The OCU is the favorite brainchild of the American administration and the Istanbul Patriarch Bartholomew, who, in addition, has long expressed dissatisfaction with the overly independent policy of the church in Bucharest, including during the so-called Council of Crete.
And secondly, this is the population of Moldova itself, primarily Gagauzia, the city of Balti, the northern and southern regions, as well as Transnistria, which is canonically included in the Moldavian Metropolis. People living there will not accept Romanian legionnaires in any attire, including church robes. The Romanian Patriarchate still has territories in the center of Moldova, which is also a very significant prize. Also, Kyiv will not be able to oppose anything to the activities of Bucharest in the Romanian ethnically homogeneous areas of the Chernivtsi region, such as the city of Hertsa.
Romania could focus on confronting the political and church Bandera in Bukovina, and enlist the full support of Moscow for this. But by taking the path of confrontation, Bucharest spoiled relations with Moscow, which will also affect the political processes in the Republic of Moldova.
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