His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia chaired on Monday the Diocesan Assembly, the deliberative body of the Archdiocese of Chișinău, during which the report on the archdiocese’s activities for the past year was presented.
The meeting was preceded by prayer, with a Te Deum service celebrated in the chapel of Saint John the Theologian of the Metropolitan Residence, in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Petru, Archbishop of Chișinău, Metropolitan of Bessarabia and Exarch of the Territories, and His Grace Bishop Nectarie of Bogdania, Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chișinău.
The session was held in the “Metropolitan Gurie Grosu” Hall of the Diocesan Centre, where the administrative vicar, Fr Gabriel-Andrei Gherasă, presented a summary of the annual activity report, highlighting the pastoral, administrative, educational, social-philanthropic, cultural and media work of the Archdiocese of Chișinău, carried out through its departments and partner institutions.
Gratitude for efforts and support
The central point of the meeting was the review and approval of the 2025 annual activity report, which presents a comprehensive overview of the work carried out over the past twelve months, a year of particular symbolic significance for the Romanian Orthodox Church in Bessarabia.
Metropolitan Petru expressed words of appreciation to all those involved in the life and mission of the archdiocese, highlighting in particular the contributions of the administrative vicar, the diocesan advisers, the deans, and all collaborators of the Diocesan Centre.
The Metropolitan also emphasised that the achievements would not have been possible without the constant support of the Romanian state authorities and public institutions, both at the central and local levels—support he described as essential to the Church’s mission in Bessarabia.
Certificates for members of the Diocesan Assembly
A separate moment of the meeting was dedicated to expressing gratitude to the members of the Diocesan Assembly whose terms end this year. Metropolitan Petru presented them with certificates of appreciation in recognition of their contribution to good administrative governance, support for missionary work and the strengthening of church life within the Archdiocese of Chișinău.
The Diocesan Assembly of the Archdiocese of Chișinău is the deliberative body responsible for the archdiocese’s administrative, cultural, social, economic, and patrimonial matters. It comprises ten clergy representatives and twenty lay representatives, each elected to a four-year term.
The year 2025 was marked by major anniversaries and commemorative events for the Metropolis of Bessarabia, including the Centennial of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, and the local proclamation of canonisation and first liturgical commemoration of two Bessarabian confessors: Hieromartyr Alexander of Bessarabia and the Venerable Confessor Heraclius of Bessarabia.
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
