Moldova: Orthodox church is deeply divided

The growing division between Moldova's two Eastern Orthodox churches reflects the increasing conflict over the government turning its back on Russia in pursuit of integration with the West. The larger of the two churches, the Metropolis of Chisinau and All Moldova, has links to the Russian Orthodox Church and favors continued close ties with Russia. The smaller church, with just over 10 percent of the Moldovan population, is the Bessarabian Orthodox Church, has links to the Romanian Orthodox Church: It backs the unification of Moldova with Romania, the most radical form of Westernization. In the past, the government sought to maintain amicable relations with both Orthodox churches; however, according to The Jamestown Foundation reporting on 17 August 2023, new attacks on the pro-Moscow church by the pro-Romanian one have made that position increasingly untenable. This has given Moscow room for more influence over Moldova.

World Watch Research analyst Rolf Zeegers comments: “It is not just in Moldova where the Orthodox community is deeply divided. The same goes for the Orthodox churches across the border in neighboring Ukraine. This is due to the fact that church communities linked to the Moscow Patriarchate are finding themselves in trouble since the leadership in Moscow has openly given its support to the Russian government in the war against Ukraine. Similarly, the Orthodox communities linked to Moscow openly want Moldova to stay in the Russian sphere of influence, which goes against the wishes of the current government of Moldova. Tensions between Moldova and Russia have been escalating, with Moldova expelling Russian diplomats, and it can only be hoped that this will not lead to a further invasion and war in the region.”