MOSCOW PATRIARCH TO STAY IN MOLDOVA LESS TIME THAN PLANNED

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has shortened the program of his visit to Moldova, planned for next week, to two days.

The Metropolitanate of Chisinau and All Moldova informed that Moldovan Metropolitan Vladimir conducted a meeting of monastery elders, protopopes and heads of the synod departments of the Central Eparchy.

Among others, the sitting stakeholders discussed the program of the Russian Patriarch’s visit. According to the updated program, he will arrive to Chisinau on Saturday, October 27. Directly from the airport he will go to Comrat, where he will conduct religious service in the city cathedral. Next day, on Sunday, he will conduct service in Balti. The program does not imply service in the Chisinau cathedral, nor the visit to Bender, which were initially planned.

At the sitting in the Metropolitanate, a number of other issues were discussed. The press release says that Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova Vladimir gave spiritual advice and proposals for improving monks’ lives, strengthening order and monk discipline, while the sitting participants had the possibility to ask questions and together discuss the relevant topics of church and spiritual life.

Meanwhile, the press release says nothing about the Metropolitanate’s attitude to the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church Synod to break the relations with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The Metropolitanate just said that Metropolitan Vladimir participated in the Synod sitting in Minsk on October 15, 2018. The Synod took such a decision due to the fact that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the procedure on granting autocephaly (independence) to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

President Igor Dodon wrote on his facebook page that Moldova was and remains canonic territory of the Moscow Patriarchy.

“The Moldovan Metropolitanate was founded in 1813 within the Russian Orthodox Church. We will remain faithful to our united Church”, Dodon stated.

The visit of Patriarch Kirill to Moldova will be the first after the historical decision of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is expected that after preaches, he will explain his position on this issue in more details.