Romanian Orthodox Church organization with the Metropolis of Bessarabia on the right in brown. The Romanian Orthodox Church ( Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is a Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church

The Metropolis of Bessarabia is one of the metropoles of the Romanian Orthodox Church, aside from the six metropoles inside Romania proper. In Hierarchical Christian churches the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the Diocesan bishop or The Romanian Orthodox Church ( Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is a Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania The Metropolis of Bessarabia was created in 1923 and organized in 1925, when the Archbishopric of Chişinău was raised to the rank of metropolis. Bessarabia ( Basarabia in Romanian, Бесарабія in Ukrainian, Бессарабия in Russian, Бесарабия in Bulgarian A metropolis (from the Greek μήτηρ mētēr meaning 'mother' and πόλις pólis meaning 'city/town' is a big City, in most cases with 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. On June 26 1940, Romania received an Ultimatum from the Soviet Union, demanding the evacuation of the Romanian military and administration from Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania 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. This article is about Byzantine governors and ecclesiastical ranks The Romanian Orthodox Church ( Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is a Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were The term Diaspora (in Greek, διασπορά &ndash " a scattering or sowing of seeds " refers any population sharing common ethnic ^[1]

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

History

It was founded after the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire in 1812, from the churches and monasteries of the Metropolis 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. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians With the advent of Greater Romania in 1918, there were three church bodies: the autocephalous Romanian Orthodox Church (on the territory of Smaller Romania—prior to 1918—formed in 1872 from the union of the former Metropolias of Ungrovlahia and Moldavia), and the non-autocephalous metropolia of Bessarabia and Transylvania. See " România Mare " for other meanings The Greater Romania (România Mare generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian Therefore, in 1925, the rank of the Romanian Orthodox Church was raised to that of a Patriarchate, with the Metropolis of Bessarabia as one of its five sees.

Organization of the Metropolis of Bessarabia

After the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia in 1940, the church, which then was a non-autonomous Metropolis, 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. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure In 1980s, two more bishoprics were added, and the See raised to the status of a Metropolis. After Moldova's independence in 1991, part of the clergy followed Petru Păduraru, the Bishop of Bălţi, and re-established the Metropolis of Bessarabia. Bălţi, (pronounced) also spelled Beltsy ( Бельцы, Бєльці, Bielce is a city in Moldova. The Russian Orthodox Church refused to recognize the authority of the Bessarabian church, and two metropolia started an un-easy co-existence. During the 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. Relation with the Metropolis of Bessarabia In the lead up to the independence of Moldova the Romanian society and by the Romanian Orthodox Church encouraged unification with

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, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Moldova recognizing it as "the spiritual, canonical, historical successor of the Metropolitan See of Bessarabia which functioned till 1944, including". The European Court of Human Rights ( ECtHR) (Cour européenne des droits de l’homme in Strasbourg was established under the European Convention on Human Rights ^[3] 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. Relation with the Metropolis of Bessarabia In the lead up to the independence of Moldova the Romanian society and by the Romanian Orthodox Church encouraged unification with The position of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the dispute with the Russian Orthodox Church over the territorial jurisdiction is, according to a press release, that the two Metropolitan Sees should "peacefully co-exist and brotherly cooperate (…) harmonising, with wisdom and realism, the territorial principle with the ethnic principle, as agreed in the pastoral service of the Orthodox in Diaspora. "^[3]

The church is currently recognized only by some other Orthodox Churches, since the Patriarchate of Moscow opposes its recognition by all of them. Metropolitans Maximus ( 1283 - 1305) St Peter ( 1308 - 1326) vacant ^[4] The current metropolitan in this church is Peter (elected as metropolitan in 1992).

See also

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

References

External links

• Official website (Romanian)

• Liberté de la Métropolie de la Béssarabie

• Freedom of the Metropolis of Bessarabia

• DECLARATION ECRITE N° 265 concernant l'arrêt de la Cour d'Appel de la République de Moldova relatif à la légitimité et à la liberté de la Métropolie de Bessarabie

• WRITTEN DECLARATION No. 265 on the decision of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Moldova on the legitimacy and freedom of the Metropolis of Bessarabia

• Droit de l'Eglise métropolitaine de Bessarabie à sa propre succession juridique

• Right of the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia to its own succession in title

• Complicité de la Patriarchie de Moscou et de toute la Russie avec le régime illégale et sécessioniste installé à l'Est de la République de Moldova

• Complicity of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia with the illegal and secessionist regime installed in the east of the Moldovan Republic

• Statement concerning the arguments of the representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church justifying the decision to establish dioceses of the Metropolia of Bessarabia
• Territorial Jurisdiction According to Orthodox Canon Law. The Phenomenon of Ethnophyletism in Recent Years, a paper read at the International Congress of Canon Law, 2001, (Ecumenical Patriarchate website)
• Torna a Patriarcato di Mosca (Italian)