Moldovan Church hierarch: Clergy who join Bessarabian Metropolis are Judas

Archbishop Markel of Bălți and Fălești. Photo: Screenshot from the Balti.Today YouTube channel

In the "In Focus" program on the Balti.Today YouTube channel, Archbishop Markel of Bălți and Fălești, a hierarch of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, spoke about the clergy who have moved to the Bessarabian Metropolis. He outlined the primary reasons that prompt them to leave their Church.

According to the hierarch, the foremost reasons include weak faith or a complete lack of belief, as well as financial interest or various types of pressure.

Archbishop Markel also mentioned that another reason is an unwillingness to be accountable for their inappropriate actions. He gave an example of a priest who faced certain sanctions from the administration of the Moldovan Metropolis.

"He immediately announced that he was moving to the Bessarabian Metropolis, portraying himself almost as a martyr and the bishops as persecutors... In reality, this is an attempt to avoid punishment for his mistakes," he explained.

The Archbishop believes that this is what makes the prospect of joining the Bessarabian Metropolis appealing to some: "There, they are freed from all accountability – before Christ, before the Church, and before the holy canons. 'Just come over to us with your parish, with your village. And then everything will be fine – do as you please.'"

He also added that clergy of his Church are promised a certain spirit of "Romanian solidarity".

"In all these appeals and conditions, there is no mention of Christ, of God—they are not interested in that. They have different values. This is what motivates these clergymen who join them. In reality, they are simply traitors... Judases who betray the Church of Christ, the very thing they swore to uphold (during their priestly ordination)," the hierarch concluded.

As reported by the UOJ, more than 60 parishes of the Moldovan Orthodox Church have moved to the Bessarabian Metropolis.

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