Church property claims cover more than 30 sites
Metropolitan Anthony of the Bessarabian Metropolis has described the transfer of buildings in Moldova to the Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church as an act of historical justice. Speaking on the television programme Podcastul Lorenei, he argued that Bessarabian Romanians were “victims of repression” and that church property should therefore be returned.
The church property claims reportedly cover more than 30 sites, including Moldova’s Government House, the Diocesan House in Bălți, a cathedral and episcopal residence in Viișoara, as well as a bank and a hotel. Anthony said the government building stands on the site of the former Metropolitan Palace.
“If we took the government building, that would be the best option; we would rent it out,” he said.
The remark placed a notably commercial emphasis on a claim presented as the restoration of historical justice.The Bessarabian Metropolis is also prepared to accept financial compensation where returning the properties is impossible.
“It is clear that they will not return everything to us, but let them return at least one. We will then see how to obtain the others. At the very least, I think we deserve compensation,” Anthony said.
Deportations cited as grounds for restitution
Asked why the church should receive the buildings, Anthony referred to Soviet-era deportations. “Everyone who was deported had something returned, and we too believe that justice should be restored,” he said.
At the same time, Anthony has called for peace and dialogue with the Metropolis of Moldova, which is canonically subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church.
“We do not want tensions between us to lead to violence,” he said, while making clear that dialogue would not mean abandoning the property claims.
The dispute over Government House, where thousands of civil servants work, is not new. The current building was constructed on the site of the Metropolitan Palace, which was demolished during the Soviet period.
Biblical warnings over material gain
The emphasis on property, rent and compensation sits uneasily with biblical warnings against acquisitiveness.
The First Epistle to Timothy states: “For the love of money is the root of all evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
The First Epistle of Peter similarly tells church leaders: “Shepherd God’s flock … not for shameful gain, but eagerly” (1 Peter 5:2).
Against that background, public discussion of renting out Government House and recovering a former hotel and bank inevitably raises questions about whether the claims are primarily spiritual or material.
The Gospel account of Jesus Christ driving merchants from the temple provides another uncomfortable parallel. Turning church buildings and property into matters of bargaining and rental income risks blurring the distinction between religious restitution and commercial interest.
Anthony, appointed by the Romanian Orthodox Church in July 2026, replaced Petru Păduraru, who left following reports about his homosexuality that were presented as compromising. The controversy surrounding the former metropolitan’s private life has now been replaced by criticism of his successor’s focus on property and compensation.
For now, the public is hearing demands for real estate rather than messages of repentance and humility. Critics of the church property claims argue that calls to recover and rent out public buildings do not restore historical justice, but instead undermine the spiritual values that the church is expected to defend.
