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MoldovaReligion
Most of Moldova's population are Orthodox Christians.
In
1991, about 98.5 percent of the population belonged to
this
faith.
The Soviet government strictly limited the activities
of the
Orthodox Church (and all religions) and at times sought to
exploit it, with the ultimate goal of destroying it and
all
religious activity. Most Orthodox churches and monasteries
in
Moldova were demolished or converted to other uses, such
as
warehouses, and clergy were sometimes punished for leading
services. But many believers continued to practice their
faith in
secret.
In 1991 Moldova had 853 Orthodox churches and eleven
Orthodox
monasteries (four for monks and seven for nuns). In
addition, the
Old Russian Orthodox Church
(Old Believers--see Glossary)
had
fourteen churches and one monastery in Moldova.
Before Soviet power was established in Moldova, the
vast
majority of ethnic Romanians belonged to the Romanian
Orthodox
Church (Bucharest Patriarchate), but today the Russian
Orthodox
Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has jurisdiction in Moldova.
Russian, Romanian, and Turkic (Gagauz) liturgies are used
in the
church. After the recent revival of religious activity,
most of
the clergy and the faithful wanted to return to the
Bucharest
Patriarchate but were prevented from doing so. Because
higherlevel church authorities were unable to resolve the
matter,
Moldova now has two episcopates, one for each
patriarchate. In
late 1992, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia issued a
decree
upgrading the Eparchy of Chisinau and Moldova to a
metropolitan
see (for definition of
eparchy--see Glossary).
Moldova also has a Uniate minority, mainly among ethnic
Ukrainians, although the Soviet government declared the
Uniate Church (see Glossary)
illegal in 1946 and forcibly united
it with
the Russian Orthodox Church. The Uniate Church survived
underground, however, outlasting the Soviet Union itself.
Despite the Soviet government's suppression and ongoing
harassment, Moldova's Jews managed to retain their
religious
identity. About a dozen Jewish newspapers were started in
the
early 1990s, and religious leaders opened a synagogue in
Chisinau; there were six Jewish communities of worship
throughout
the country. In addition, Moldova's government created the
Department of Jewish Studies at Chisinau State University,
mandated the opening of a Jewish high school in Chisinau,
and
introduced classes in Judaism in high schools in several
cities.
The government also provides financial support to the
Society for
Jewish Culture.
Other religious denominations in Moldova are the
Armenian
Apostolic Church, Seventh-Day Adventists, Baptists,
Pentecostals,
and Molokans (a Russian Orthodox sect).
Citizens in independent Moldova have much greater
religious
freedom than they did under the Soviet regime. Legislation
passed
in 1992 guaranteed religious freedom but did require that
all
religious groups be officially recognized by the
government. In
1992 construction or restoration of 221 churches was under
way,
but clergy remained in short supply.
Data as of June 1995
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