Metropolis of Bessarabia

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The Metropolis of Bessarabia is one of the six metropolies of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Metropolis of Bessarabia was created in 1923 and organized in 1925, when the Archbishopric of Chişinău was raised to the rank of metropolis. Inactive during the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia (1940-1941) and the Soviet rule in Moldova (1944-1991), it was re-activated on September 14, 1992 on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In 1995, the Metropolis of Bessarabia has been raised to the rank of exarchate, with jurisdiction over the Romanian Orthodox communities of the ex-Soviet bloc and the Moldovan diaspora worldwide.^[1]

The current Metropolitan of Bessarabia is Petru Păduraru. ^[2]

[edit] History

It was founded after the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire in 1812, from the churches and monastries of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia on that territory that no longer belonged to the Principality of Moldavia, by Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni, a popular promoter of Moldavian/Romanian language and culture, who served also as its first Metropolitan. With the advent of Greater Romania in 1918, there were three church bodies: the autocefalous Romanian Orthodox Church (on the territory of Smaller Romania—prior to 1918—formed in 1872 from the union of the former Metropolitanates of Ungrovlahia and Moldavia), and the non-autocephalous metropolitanates of Bessarabia and Transylvania. Therefore, in 1925, the rank of the Romanian Orthodox Church was raised to that of a Patriarchate, with the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia as one of its five sees.

After the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia in 1940, the church, which then was a non-autonomous Metropolitanate, was banned, and its property has either changed uses, or was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, which established the Bishopric in Chişinău and Moldova. In 1980s, two more bishoprics were added, and the See raised to the status of a Metropolitanate. After Moldova's independence in 1991, part of the clergy followed Petru Păduraru, the Bishop of Bălţi, and re-established the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The Russian Orthodox Church refused to recognize the authority of the Bessarabian church, and two metropolitanates started an un-easy co-existence. During 1990s, the one subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church, called Moldovan Orthodox Church, gained the protection of the country's authorities and established itself as the official church, while the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia was refused registration according to the country's new law of religions.

In 2004, after years of legal hurdles and a final decision by the European Court of Human Rights, the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia received official registration. About 20% of country's orthodox churches were or changed to be under its jurisdictions; a strong desire to similar moves has been expressed in many other parishes. This is a major area of tension with the Moldovan Orthodox Church.

The church is currently recognized only by some other Orthodox Churches, since the Patriarchate of Moscow opposes its recognition by all of them. The current metropolitan in this church is Peter (elected as metropolitan in 1992).

[edit] See also

• History of the Orthodox Church in Moldova
• Moldovan Orthodox Church

[edit] External links

• (Italian) Torna a Patriarcato di Mosca

Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Eastern Orthodoxy

Autocephalous Churches

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Autonomous Churches

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The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.