(MENAFN) A senior Orthodox cleric in Moldova has accused the government of systematically targeting the Moldovan Orthodox Church after being blocked from traveling abroad for a second time. Bishop Marchel claimed on Friday that authorities stopped him at Chisinau International Airport, conducted a search, and ultimately caused him to miss his flight to Türkiye, where he had planned a religious pilgrimage.

Speaking to Sputnik Moldova, Marchel described the airport search as “humiliating” and said border police ignored his request for his prearranged legal counsel. He was released only after his plane had departed.

The bishop previously drew international attention in April when he was barred from traveling to Jerusalem to attend the Orthodox Easter ‘Holy Fire’ ceremony. That incident led to criticism from both the Moldovan opposition and the Russian Orthodox Church. The UN Human Rights Council has since launched an inquiry.

Bishop Marchel sees these actions as part of a broader campaign of religious repression. “Hundreds of clergy and worshippers who went on pilgrimages to holy sites in Russia have been fined,” he told RT, attributing the crackdown to the Moldovan Church’s affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tensions between religious factions have escalated in Moldova, where the Moscow-linked Moldovan Orthodox Church faces growing pressure from pro-EU authorities favoring the Romanian-aligned Metropolis of Bessarabia. President Maia Sandu’s administration, which has pursued EU and NATO membership since 2020, has been accused of using state power to diminish Russian influence and suppress dissent.

Sandu has defended her policies as necessary to counter what she describes as criminal networks tied to pro-Russian interests.

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