History of the Orthodox Church in Moldova
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The first Christians in the present-day Moldova appeared after the voyage of apostle Andrew[citation needed] to what is nowadays Dobrogea in Romania. However they were very few until the 4th century AD, because the Latin-speaking part of the Roman Empire was not officially Christian prior to 325[citation needed].
In 325 Roman emperor Constantine the Great ordered Roman citizens to convert to Christianity. Moldovans/Romanians, as direct descendants of the inhabitants of the Roman province of Dacia, trace their conversion to that date, being placed at that time under the jurisdiction of the then bishoprics of Tomis (nowadays Constanţa, Romania) and Durustor (nowadays Silistra, Bulgaria).
In 1401 the Prince of Moldavia, Alexandru cel Bun, obtained from the Patriarchate of Constantinopole the right to create an autonomous Metropolitan See at Suceava with 3 bishoprics, with jurisdiction over the entire territory of the Principality of Moldavia. During the Middle Ages tensions sometimes existed between Moldavians and the Patriarch of Constantinopole, if a Greek-speaking rather than Romanian-speaking Metropolitan was named. Rarely a Greek-only-speaking Metropolitan would effectively take office, and only for a short period of time, until a politically suitable Romanian-speaking candidate could be found. The princes of Moldavia and of Wallachia during the Middle Ages considered themselves in full communion with all Christians, including Catholic ones, and had extensive diplomatic relations with the Pope, which did not contribute to good relations with their direct superior, the Patriarch of Constantinople.
From the 15th century the Patriarchate of Constantinople was forced to content itself with being responsible to the Ottoman Sultanate.
Bessarabia (the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia) was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812, including the territory constituting the Chişinău Eparchy, which gradually over the following century was placed under the Russian Orthodox Church. Its first Metropolitan was Gavriil (Bănulescu-Bodoni), a popular promoter of Moldavian/Romanian language and culture. Its last metropolitan was Anastasios, the future first-hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
In January 1918 Bessarabia proclaimed independence and in April 1918 proclaimed union with Romania. The territory of modern-day Republic of Moldova constituted part of the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, under the Romanian Orthodox Church.
After World War II the territory was part of the USSR, which was very hostile to the church. The body of the church was downgraded to a Bishopric (of Chişinău and Moldova) under the Russian Orthodox Church.
With the national revival in 1988-90 a conflict developed between the laity, who preferred a return to the Romanian language and traditions in the church, and part of the clergy, who spoke only Russian, some being KGB agents and with only minimal theological training. The Bishop of Bălţi, Petru, then led a movement that transformed the former Bishopric into the Metropolitan See of Bessarabia, reviving the one existing before the Soviet occupation, placing it under the authority of the Romanian Orthodox Church but retaining a larger degree of autonomy than the other Metropolitanates of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In October 1992 the Metropolitanate of Chişinău and Moldova was formed and granted autonomy by the Russian Orthodox Church. In the following years, with political support from pro-Russian politicians, the Metropolitanate of Chişinău and Moldova forced the majority of priests to "return" to the Russian Orthodox Church. Later the state re-registered the churches and refused to register the Metropolitanate of Bassarabia, which led to a lengthy court action that lasted until the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Moldovan state to register it in 2004. A number of parishes were allowed to return to the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia. An uneasy peace exists nowadays between the two Churches.
