{"id":582658,"date":"2026-07-31T16:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=582658"},"modified":"2026-07-31T16:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:10:24","slug":"metropolis-bessarabia-24-years-official-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/metropolis-bessarabia-24-years-official-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Metropolitan Antonie marks 24th anniversary of Metropolis of Bessarabia’s legal recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia officiated a Te Deum<\/a> at the St John the Theologian Metropolitan Chapel in Chi\u0219in\u0103u on Thursday, marking 24 years since the official recognition of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, re-established after the fall of communism.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The service was followed by the reading of a message<\/a> from the metropolitan, who described the anniversary as “a reaffirmation of a historical, canonical and spiritual truth after a long period in which religious freedom was tested by the consequences of a totalitarian past.”<\/p>\n

Metropolitan Antonie noted that the European Court of Human Rights judgment in Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and Others v. Moldova, delivered on 13 December 2001 and implemented through the authorities’ official recognition of the Metropolis on 30 July 2002, remains one of the most significant European rulings on religious freedom following the collapse of the communist regimes.<\/p>\n

The judgment reaffirmed a fundamental democratic principle, he said: that religious freedom includes the right of faith communities to organise their lives according to their own spiritual and historical identity, while the state has a duty to guarantee the free exercise of that right.<\/p>\n

“Truth prevails”<\/h2>\n
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Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia officiated a Te Deum at the Metropolitan Chapel in Chisinau on Thursday, marking 24 years since the recognition of the re-establishment of the Metropolis of Bessarabia. Photo credit: Metropolis of Bessarabia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“For us, this recognition had profound significance. It confirmed that the mission of a Church, the memory of a people and the conscience of the faithful cannot be erased by unjust administrative decisions or by temporary geopolitical changes,” Metropolitan Antonie said.<\/p>\n

“What is founded upon faith in God, the sacrifice of the martyrs and canonical continuity remains inscribed in the soul of the people and finds its fulfilment at the time appointed by God.”<\/p>\n

The metropolitan said that the re-establishment of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which had been forcibly abolished during the Soviet occupation, represented the restoration of its natural right “to continue its mission within its canonical territory, safeguarding the right of its faithful to organise themselves and worship in the ancestral Church to which they had been united for centuries.”<\/p>\n

Freedom rests on sacrifices of past generations<\/h2>\n

Having personally taken part in the legal efforts to restore the Metropolis, Metropolitan Antonie paid tribute to all those whose perseverance made the victory possible, including Patriarch Teoctist, Metropolitan Antonie Pl\u0103m\u0103deal\u0103, and Metropolitan Nestor Vornicescu.<\/p>\n

“Through their labour, today we celebrate 24 years since we received the gift of praying freely in the churches of our forefathers, in the places where our saints, parents and grandparents worshipped\u2014people of this land who endured the terrible trials of the last century: persecution, deportations, famine and humiliation.”<\/p>\n

A new historical chapter<\/h2>\n
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Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia, together with clergy and faithful, in front of the Archdiocese.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Metropolitan Antonie said the restoration of the Metropolis had opened a new chapter in its history, but stressed that the Church would continue seeking a remedy for unresolved property issues resulting from what he described as abusive administrative measures that transferred Church assets to another ecclesiastical structure after the ECHR judgment.<\/p>\n

“This legal situation still awaits a fair solution for many parish communities and holy monasteries, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, respect for historical heritage, the requirements of religious freedom and the public commitments assumed by the state authorities,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We await that moment with patience, just as we patiently awaited the official recognition of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, knowing that truth and justice do not lose their strength with the passage of time.”<\/p>\n

He added that “history has repeatedly shown that just, equitable and lasting solutions are born through dialogue, respect for the law and the willingness to correct what the past has left unresolved.”<\/p>\n