Moldovan Metropolis warned against breaking with Moscow
Archbishop Marchel of Bălți and Fălești has said that granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Moldovawould be “categorically unacceptable”.
In his view, such a move would not strengthen the Church. It could destroy it.
He made the remarks during a conference focused on the fallout from a court decision concerning more than 800 churches currently linked to the Moldovan Metropolis, also known as the Orthodox Church of Moldova.
The archbishop sharply criticised those calling for a break with the Moscow Patriarchate and for full autocephaly in the name of “freedom”.
According to Marchel, such proposals are a “disservice” to the Church. He said church matters cannot be decided by politicians or public organisations without the voice of clergy and believers.
“Breaking with Moscow means digging our own grave”
Marchel said the idea was raised at the conference by two “bold” young men from the civic organisation Alianța Moldovenilor. He suggested they may have been acting on a political order.
“At the conference, two people from the public organisation Alianța Moldovenilor spoke very boldly and proposed a way out of the situation: that we, the servants of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, must categorically break away from Moscow and obtain full autocephaly from them,” he said.“To renounce Moscow, in this case the Moscow Patriarchate, as some representatives of today’s authorities and unionist circles want, means digging our own grave.”
The archbishop said he first wondered whether the young men had received support from other church hierarchs. He then contacted fellow bishops, but none of them knew who the men were. No one, he said, had blessed them to speak on this matter.
However, Marchel added that he has heard similar ideas many times from representatives of the authorities. In his view, their goal is to detach the Moldovan Orthodox Church from the Moscow Patriarchate and place it under another church structure.
“It seems to me that they are not working for Moldovans, but for those who want the Republic of Moldova to disappear from the political map of the world and for the Orthodox Church of Moldova to be joined to other religious structures,” he said.
Existing autonomy and fears of deeper division
The archbishop stressed that the Moldovan Metropolis already has autonomous status. It has managed its own legal, financial, administrative and property issues for more than 200 years.
At the same time, he said, its canonical and liturgical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate, preserved since 1812, gives it access to the wider Orthodox world.
Marchel argued that the Church is not ready for a full break. He compared such a move to sending “a small child into a free and independent life”.
He also warned that leaving the Moscow Patriarchate could deepen internal divisions in Moldova, especially in Transnistria and Gagauzia, where the religious factor carries particular weight.
“If we merely start talking about breaking away from the Moscow Patriarchate, we will say goodbye to Transnistriaforever, and to Gagauzia as well,” he said.
Dispute over 800 churches
The wider context is a legal battle that has lasted for more than 12 years over more than 800 churches classified as historical monuments.
In November 2025, the Chișinău Court of Appeal annulled the Moldovan Metropolis’ right to use these buildings indefinitely and free of charge. That right had been fixed in a 2003 agreement with the Culture Ministry.
The case now awaits a final ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice. Culture Minister Cristian Jardan has said that more than 800 monuments are “returning to state ownership”, although the government has “no capacity to manage 800 buildings”.
Marchel also linked the debate over a break with Moscow to what he called the actions of “dark forces” represented by the Metropolis of Bessarabia. In his view, they want to take the churches and move parishes under Romanian jurisdiction.
“I also want to draw the attention of listeners and those interested in this issue to the fact that dark forces in the form of the Metropolis of Bessarabia now want to deprive us of 800 churches,” he said.
“The Church is not managed by politicians”
Marchel urged believers to preserve the current status of the Moldovan Metropolis and its canonical unity.
He said the Church is a living spiritual institution “managed by God, not by politicians”. Therefore, it cannot simply be moved from one owner to another.
“Let us preserve, brothers and sisters, our loyalty to the Church and to our canonical presence in the Moscow Patriarchate. May God help us overcome the coming difficulties, which are, if you wish, a serious test. With God’s help, we will endure this. With God’s help, we will defend ourselves,” Archbishop Marchel said.
