Moldovan Metropolitan Vladimir
Regarding the group of Orthodox Christians who removed the Menorah on December 13, from the Stephen The Great public square in Chisinau, the Moldovan Orthodox Church manifested its opposition regarding the way the Christians gathered there and protested.
In the same time, we consider unwelcome the installing of a Jewish symbol in a public space that is highly tied with our history and our nation’s faith, moreover Hanukkah is a religious celebration described by the Jewish religious book as a “ritual of holiness”, signifying the triumph of the Jewish people over the non-Jews. Choosing to install the Menorah in that area was unfitted, because the public park was named in the name of Voivode Stephen III of Moldavia the Great and Holy because he was an important figure in protecting our Christian nation.
We consider that this unpleasant incident from the center of our capital city could have been avoided if the Jewish Menorah would have been installed near the Memorial for the Holocaust victims.
Through this way we are calling on our authorities to consider the majority’s views who are predominantly Orthodox Christians.
The Moldovan Mitropoly respects the sentiments and religious beliefs of the cult members legally registered on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and it is expecting the same treatment from them too.
