Bishop Veniamin of Southern Basarabia attended on Wednesday the closing conference of the project “Love for One’s Neighbour: Empowering the Religious Community to Prevent Domestic Violence in Rural Areas,” implemented by the Diaconia Social Mission of the Metropolis of Basarabia in partnership with UNFPA, UN Women, and the European Union.
The project, carried out between September 2024 and September 2025, involved clergy from several parishes of the Diocese of Southern Basarabia, who participated in training sessions and conferences on preventing domestic violence and promoting family values.
During the event, Bishop Veniamin expressed gratitude to the partner institutions and organisations for their support, emphasising the importance of cooperation between the Church and social actors in combating domestic violence.
The hierarch noted that preventing and addressing violence requires joint action and continuous community engagement, highlighting the project’s contribution to strengthening values of respect and solidarity.
Promoting responsibility and unity
In the context of the 2025 Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, Bishop Veniamin said that such initiatives help foster social responsibility and unity within communities in the Republic of Moldova.
At the end of the event, the bishop thanked Igor Belei, President of the Diaconia Social Mission, and Fr. Ciprian Ioan Ioniță, Patriarchal Counsellor and President of the Filantropia Federation of the Romanian Patriarchate, for their contribution to the project’s implementation.
Representatives of the partner institutions and the Church presented the results of the activities carried out, emphasising the project’s positive impact on families and communities in southern Basarabia.
Photo: Diocese of Southern Bessarabia
