Moldovan Christians Sound Alarm Over EU-Backed Persecution and Forced Progressive Agenda

Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova Vladimir splashes water on believers during Theophany celebrations in Chisinau, Moldova. January 19, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

CHISINAU — Last month, journalists were invited to Moldova by the Orthodox Church of Moldova and activists to report on the ongoing persecution of the religious and conservative population.

According to reporting from LifeSiteNews, an "unwilling population" is suffering civil rights abuses that are funded and enforced by the European Union (EU). Interviews with figures ranging from priests to lawyers found that pro-LGBT policies have been forced on the country that is the most Christian nation in the world, as 95.2% of the population identifies as Orthodox Christian. Due to this reality, there exists a strong opposition to policies promoting abortion, feminism, and the LGBT agenda.

Because of this, journalist Charles Bausman reports, President Maia Sandu and the pro-EU government have employed methods of persecution since coming to power in 2020 in a highly contested result that saw protests alleging election fraud.

"Methods include prohibiting opposition media, physical and electronic surveillance, blackmail, lawfare, arbitrary fines, harassment of priests and activists, prohibitions of free movement across borders, and threats of physical violence from state security agencies," the article states. 

Not only does the EU refuse to do anything about this persecution – it actively funds it, Moldovans allege. As one of the current candidate countries to join the EU, the country is reportedly being forced to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption by homosexual couples to meet the EU standard.

The backdrop for this entire effort is the continuous persecution of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, which has existed for more than 700 years and is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. It has been reported that, immediately after Ukraine passed a law to ban the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the Moldovan government was prepared to do the same but chose not to due to a combination of public outcry and upcoming elections.

“The Ecumenical Patriarchate stands in solidarity with you, firmly committed to supporting initiatives that uphold human dignity and values that serve the common good,” Pat. Bartholomew of Constantinople said in a congratulatory letter to President Sandu following the 2024 election.

A "liberal" jurisdiction known as the Metropolis of Bessarabia has been set up under the Romanian Patriarchate, with priests who make the switch being paid three to four times higher than those who remain in the Moldovan Church.

Much like the situation of the state-sponsored Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), priests of the Orthodox Church of Moldova are intimidated and bribed while church buildings are confiscated. Media also perpetuates the narrative by misrepresenting ecclesiastical matters as political ones, with articles like "Moldova's largest Orthodox church keeps link to Russia" being published by The Straits Times.

Information on the parallel jurisdiction from the article:

Priests we interviewed explained that because these priests are dependent on the EU for their generous salaries, neither priests nor bishops speak out in any way against abortion or LGBT issues, whereas the Moldovan church is very outspoken against them.

A Moldovan pro-family activist who asked to remain anonymous for fear of government reprisal explained that prior to 2020, citizens opposed to LGBT ideology were free to take part in street protests and voice their views on TV and print media, but since 2021 this has been prohibited. According to him, LGBT ideology is extremely unpopular among the population, resulting, pre-2021, in pride parades consisting of 100-200 people while counter-protests numbered 2,000-3,000 people. The “pride” parades required heavy police protection and often included employees of the American and EU embassies.

Due to this, the Orthodox Church of Moldova has been prohibited from taking part in any "political" activities outside church grounds. In June, Moldovan authorities prohibited a Pentecost procession due to it coinciding with Pride month and a pride parade.

"All of the people this reporter interviewed said that the overwhelming majority of the population is against these progressive social policies, but they are being forced on them using police-state tactics last seen under the USSR," the article states.

Previously, UOJ reported that the United Nations and European lawmakers are expressing growing concern over the deteriorating situation of Orthodox Christians in Moldova.

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