Moldovan Orthodox Church

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The Moldovan Orthodox Church, whose ecumenic territory covers the Republic of Moldova, is an autonomous church under the Church of Russia.

Together with the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia, it is one of the two major Orthodox churches of Moldova. At the 2005 census, 3,158,015 people or 95.5% of those declaring a religion claimed to be Christian Orthodox. The two major churches have very unfriendly relations. Moldovan Orthodox Church has also stained relations with ROCOR, which only has a few followers in the country.

In the lead up to the independence of Moldova, a significant part of the population wanted reunification^{[citation needed]} with Romania rather than independence. They were encouraged by Romanian authorities and by the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Romanian Orthodox Church revived the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, granted it autonomous status and gave it authority over (part) of Moldova and other areas.

In October 1992 the Church of Russia granted autonomy to the Metropolitanate of Chişinău and Moldova, which holds the vast majority of the Orthodox population, parishes, monasteries, and churches in Moldova. This Metropolitanate is usually now known as the Moldovan Orthodox Church.

The Moldovan Orthodox Church has 1,080 parishes. The Metropolitanate of Bessarabia had about 84 parishes within the nation of Moldova at the moment of its new recognition. The Old Rite Russian Orthodox Church make up approximately 3.6% of the population.

The head of the Moldovan Orthodox Church is Metropolitan Vladimir, who is one of the permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Moldovan Orthodox Church has four eparchies (bishoprics): Chişinău, Tiraspol and Dubăsari, Edineţ and Briceani, plus Cahul and Comrat. Church languages are Romanian and Slavonic. Church music is Byzantine and Russian. Entities are 1080 parishes, 30 monasteries, 1 academy, 2 seminaries.

The autonomous Metropolitanate of Besssarabia has parishes in Moldova, the Odessa region of Ukraine, and the Chuvash region of Russia in the Ural mountains. It was founded by the bishop of Bălţi, Petru (Paduraru) in 1992, with the support of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It was also supported by political parties opposing independence for the Republic of Moldova. It considers itself to be the heir of the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia which existed in 1918-1940 during the period of Greater Romania.

Conflict continues between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church over Moldova and other areas.

[edit] See also

[edit] External link

Information about the Moldovan Orthodox Church

Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Eastern Orthodoxy

Autocephalous Churches

Autonomous Churches

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

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