The persecuted Moldavian Metropolis humbly makes excuses: “The Moscow Patriarchate did not force us to pray for the victory of Holy Rus'”
Militant-Russophobic portal deschide.md tried to raise another anti-church wave in Moldova. The portal published an internal church document of the Moscow Patriarchate “The procedure for reading prayers for Holy Rus' during Lent,” signed by the head of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Gregory of the Resurrection. This document was distributed as a denunciation by the telegram channel “Orthodoxy and Zombies,” which is run by the well-known parachurch, Russophobic liberal journalist Ksenia Luchenko, the ex-wife of traitor Sergei Chapnin, who fled to the United States, and former executive editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.
In the text, Metropolitan Gregory clarifies: “(...) with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', I declare that the daily reading of this prayer must be performed after the morning or evening service (at the choice of the parish priest, depending on the order of services).”
The Moldovan Metropolis, which has an autonomous status within the Moscow Patriarchate, and is subject to constant harassment from government agencies and pro-government media in Moldova, published on its page an official response signed by Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova.
“The Metropolis of Chisinau and All Moldova does not approve and rejects the information that has appeared in the media about the alleged request of the Moscow Patriarchate to pray for Russia’s victory in the current military confrontation in Ukraine. The Moldavian Metropolis explains that it has not received any official request from the Moscow Patriarchate in this regard.", The document says.
The communiqué states that “The Metropolis of Chisinau and All Moldova is an independent and autonomous church institution that carries out its mission in accordance with the sacred canons of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church and the provisions of its own Charter, and is not subject to external directives from persons”.
Let us note that Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova Vladimir (Kantarian) is permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The prayer for Holy Rus' contains an appeal to God to “raise in all countries of Holy Rus' peace and unanimity." That is, we are talking about sovereign states that are the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, which includes the Republic of Moldova.
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