The Romanian Church is going to wrest the cathedral from the most pro-Russian bishop of the Moldavian Metropolis
The non-canonical “Bessarabian Metropolis” created by the Romanian Orthodox Church on the territory of Moldova asks Bishop Markell of Balti and Falesti, the most pro-Russian bishop of the Moldavian Metropolis, to vacate the “residence of the Romanian bishops” in the city of Balti, built during the Romanian occupation of Bessarabia.
In addition, they are asking for the liberation of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helena in Balti, also built by the Romanian occupation authorities, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The statement came in the context of criticism expressed by Bishop Markell regarding the decision to build a new cathedral and Romanian cultural center in Balti under the canonical patronage of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
“Bishop Markell would have acted correctly and in the spirit of historical justice if he had vacated the residence of the Romanian bishops in Balti, built during the Great Romania by the memorable Visarion Puiu, the first Romanian bishop of Khotyn with residence in Balti, as well as the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helena in Balti , built with funds from the Bessarabian Metropolis and the Romanian State, opened in 1935 in the presence of the King of Romania and the Supreme Council of the Hierarchy of Romania and Greece,” says a statement from the Bessarabian Metropolis.
The statement notes that the Romanian Church “has made significant efforts to revive the Orthodox communities in Bessarabia, which have returned to the traditional jurisdiction of the Mother Church.”
The city of Balti is the “northern capital” of Moldova, where a significant part of the population is made up of Russian-speaking residents, and is one of the strongholds of pro-Russian forces in the country. Residents of Balti categorically do not accept Romanian unionism. Bishop Markell is the most consistent supporter of the preservation of the Moldavian Metropolis within the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Romanian Church is preparing to seize the cathedral from the most pro-Russian bishop of the Moldovan Metropolitanate.