When
the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill went in on Monday from
the farthest point of its two-day visit to Moldova, Kurki village, 50 km
from Chisinau is a stark contrast to rising above them beautifully
restored monastery of the Virgin-Christmas. In
the monastery who gathered together for a meeting with their patriarch
hundreds of priests and believers from various parts of the Republic of
Moldova. In the village the road motorcade escorted a few older women who had gathered near a cafe, and small children. All around was empty.It was the middle of the day, and one of the people of working age could be just at work. But most of them are working away from home. Children
seeing off old ladies working the patriarch, as well as hundreds of
thousands of their compatriots in Russia, Italy and other countries
where they are sent to economic difficulties and the search for a better
life. Houses are elderly and children. Almost a quarter of Moldovan citizens working abroad. And in the Moldovan protracted political instability discourages investment and economic growth, experts say."The
Patriarch arrived at a time when society is divided, when the
Christians were not happy with what is happening - he said in an
interview with RIA Novosti MP from the Party of Communists (PCRM), a
former Minister of Economy of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon. - As
society is strongly politicized, part of the community sees his visit as political. "A special place on the mapActually,
the place of Moldavia on the religious and political map of Europe is
more important than its location on the map economically.Its western boundary - the result of two centuries ago a compromise between the two empires, the Russian and Ottoman, shared historical region of Moldova, a cultural center which, Iasi, Romania is on the side. Proponents of the concept of "Greater Romania" is always seen in the structure of Moldavia and the Romanian state actually controlled these territories from 1918 to 1940 and then during World War II.For the Moscow Patriarchate as Moldova - this is the only abundant neslavyanoyazychnaya part of it is supported, so its supranational status. In the Moldovan Metropolitan Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Metropolitan Vladimir (Kantaryanom), about 1,300 churches and 50 monasteries, and most of them are in the local language, belonging to the Roman group.This is an agricultural country, its people's strong devotion, had escaped the most severe phase of atheist persecution undertaken in the USSR in the 1920s and 30s, and today has the highest density of churches and priests per capita in the whole territory of the Moscow Patriarchate. But this border area, challenged the Romanian Orthodox Church.For Moldova, the Patriarch of Moscow - is a living symbol of spiritual unity with Russia, which is important for Russian-speaking minorities, and for a large part of Moldovan society, which sees ties with Moscow guarantee its independence from Romania. At the same time, there is a visible minority, aimed at reunification with Romania."We and those under, and under the"In 1992, one of the bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate moved to the Romanian Orthodox Church, which is recreated here existed in the interwar period, Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia.Today it has about 150 parishes, nearly 10 times less than the Moldovan Metropolitan Church, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. If we talk about the order of numbers, then, according to the Moldovan experts, this ratio corresponds approximately to the separation of Moldovans - those who dream of reunification with Romania, and those who want to live in an independent Moldovan state."We have 95 percent of Moldovans consider themselves as Moldovans, and 5 percent - Romanians" - says Nicolae Chirtoaca, former Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the United States, who now heads the independent Institute of Political Studies.According to him, the resonance produced by both state and church supporters of union with Romania, does not fit this part of the Moldovan society. "In Bucharest, Moscow and much more faith in the possibility of unification of Moldova and Romania, than believe it is" - emphasizes the expert. A Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia he calls "the failed project."From the church point of view, the complexity of the conflict in Moldova is that this country believe their territory at the same time two recognize each other's largest population of the Local Orthodox Churches of the world, but it is a violation of the canonical order. However, the former is very hot in the early 1990s, this conflict has now lost its sting.Bessarabian Metropolitan Peter (Peduraru) did not support the protests against the visit of Patriarch of Moscow, confining his statements about the "political nature". A Patriarch Kirill said at a meeting with Acting President Lupu, that this conflict - no question of church-state relations. "I hope that by the grace of God, because we are two fraternal Orthodox Church - Russian and Romanian, - we will find common ground and try to unleash all of these conflicts - the patriarch said. - This is tricky, because we are believers, we live in specific political contexts, but towering over these contexts, guided by the canons of the Church and our fidelity to the church tradition, a lot we can do. "Political analyst Alexei Tulbure, former representative of the Republic of Moldova to the UN, believes that the acute phase of church and social conflict is over, and Moldova as a secular and ecclesiastical, is destined to build their future in the balance of interests between Moscow and Bucharest."The question is not posed as follows: under what we will - says Tulbure - We will under those, and under these. Since most people are not actively involved in church life, it acts more the principle of cultural and ritual accessories. I know people who have married in the Romanian church and the children are baptized in the Moldavian, or vice versa. There are people who do not perceive anything Russian. For them, business, politics or the church, all that comes from Moscow, - evil. And there are those who believe that all evil - from Bucharest. And there is a middle, which is currently instability is blurred. "The Russian factor in Moldovan politicsIn this situation, Patriarch Kirill abandoned the rhetoric of the "Russian world" which caused much criticism in Ukraine and Moldova, two years ago. The Patriarch gave dioceses and parishes of the Gospel and Moldovan, and in Church - depending on how you are where, and otherwise stressed his respect for the Moldovan state.And it is already more than two years of political deadlock - since, as after the elections have caused mass protests in April 2009, the Parliament and can not elect a president. Political parties, none of which has a simple majority, chronically unable to agree. Over the past two years in the country were four election campaigns, and it is possible that the country will soon expect yet another early parliamentary elections.Real or virtual, Russia is in local politics and system of symbols a very special situation - a situation which is unlikely to be encountered in any other country."Russia, what would it shall not come, there was always serious, and even the determining factor," - said political analyst Alexei Tulbure. - We belong to the world culture and civilization. "Complexity of the routeAccording to local media, the patriarch, not only going to visit Chisinau, but also the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Moldovan Republic, where presidential elections are nearing, and Turkic Gagauzia. But the visit was shortened to two days, the official version, due to the health of the patriarch, and took place only in Chisinau and its suburbs.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill makes a small rank of consecration to the Virgin-Church Christmas Kurkevskogo monastery. Left - the Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova Vladimir, on the right - Metropolitan Saransk and Mordovia Varsonofi.During these two days he served in the primate area of heavy rain, preached, met with belonging to different parties, leading politicians of Moldova, received the highest state award, attended the Children's Cancer Center and the restored monastery and gave a 45-minute interview with representatives of the three channels - Moldovan, Russian and Romanian.But it was the political issues came to the fore in the representation of the local media who covered the visit as an important event in the country. A demonstration of several dozen people against "the intervention of Moscow", because of which the patriarch had to postpone the laying of flowers at the monument to national hero Moldovans holy Ruler Stephen III the Great, took almost more important in the information space than all the other aspects of the visit."We have literally everything is politicized," - said the head of the Strategic Studies Institute, Nicolae Chirtoaca. According to him, the church, on the one hand, enjoys the highest confidence in the Moldovan society, on the other hand, is not a real political force. As in other former Soviet states, it is closely connected with the state.With the patriarch met with him and show up in public and acting president of Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu, and his opponent, Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Filat, and former president of Moldova, the Communist Party leader Vladimir Voronin. In this Filat promised to build a new church patriarch in Chisinau, Voronin, on the contrary, the patriarch of the Order awarded for his contribution to the restoration of churches during his presidency."We are always political elite struggles for priority relations with Moscow - says Chirtoaca. - And the visit of the patriarch - a convenient time for such maneuvers."The church is largely perceived here as an important part of the country's civilized choice, in the long existence of which many did not believe 20 years ago, when the Soviet Union disintegrated. However, Moldovan politicians in one voice say that the Moldovan identity - this is a deeper concept than the legacy of the Soviet Union or the desire of local elites to retain power."Part of our national identity - belonging to a world that feels in Russian - says Tulbure. - Moldova - a symbiosis of Romanesque and Slavic world."
