(MENAFN) Russian legislators have strongly criticized Moldovan authorities for stopping an Orthodox bishop from traveling to Jerusalem to retrieve the Holy Fire ahead of Easter. Bishop Marchel of the Moldovan Orthodox Church stated that police delayed him and his clerical companions at the airport under the pretense of a security search. Although nothing was found, their passports were held until after the flight departed.

The episode highlights ongoing religious tensions in Moldova, where the Moldovan Orthodox Church, aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate, faces pressure from the government, which supports the rival Metropolis of Bessarabia under the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Russian State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov accused pro-EU Moldovan authorities and their European allies of showing contempt for Orthodox Christianity. He suggested that those responsible were spiritually corrupt and compared them to heretics.

Sergey Mironov, leader of the Just Russia – For Truth party, claimed the event exemplified not only Russophobia but also a broader attack on the Orthodox faith. He likened the situation to Ukraine, where the Orthodox Church affiliated with Moscow has also faced persecution.

Inside Moldova, the Socialist Party condemned the incident as a deliberate act of “spiritual terror” during one of the holiest times of the year. They accused President Maia Sandu’s government of disrespecting the country’s Orthodox majority and demanded a formal apology and explanation.

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