RT.com
18 Apr 2025, 12:33 GMT+10
The Moldovan authorities prevented Bishop Markel from boarding a flight to Jerusalem days before Orthodox Easter
Moldovan police have stopped a bishop from traveling to Jerusalem to take part in the Holy Fire ceremony days ahead of Orthodox Easter celebrated on April 20.
Moldova, like neighboring Ukraine, has experienced religious tensions stemming from the rivalry between the Moldovan Orthodox Church, which is affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which is under the Romanian Orthodox Church. Amid geopolitical tensions with Russia, the pro-EU Moldovan government has been supportive of the Metropolis of Bessarabia while applying pressure on the canonical Moldovan Orthodox Church.
Speaking to TASS on Thursday, bishop Markel of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, said that the Moldovan law enforcement prevented him from boarding to plane to Jerusalem under a questionable pretext.
"They didn't let us depart. They announced a second-category search. After that, they issued a protocol stating that nothing suspicious was found or confiscated. Our passports were returned 30 minutes after the plane had left", he said.
According to Markel, he was accompanied by two protodeacons, and they we were traveling to fetch the Holy Fire.
The Holy Fire is considered a miraculous flame that appears each year on Holy Saturday, the day before Orthodox Easter, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem - believed to be the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: The helicopter tour company involved in a recent crash that killed a pilot and a visiting family from Spain...
WASHINGTON D. C.: President Donald Trump's administration announced late last week that it would stop all federal education funding...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesia is preparing a high-level visit to Washington with an ambitious offer to avert steep U.S. tariffs on...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy will no longer use race when deciding who gets in. For many...
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's last major opposition party has begun the process of dissolving, a symbolic end to decades of pro-democracy...
WASHINGTON, D.C: The U.S. Department of Justice has told its lawyers they can no longer attend or speak at events hosted by the American...
The Moldovan authorities prevented Bishop Markel from boarding a flight to Jerusalem days before Orthodox Easter Moldovan police...
(250418) -- HEBRON, April 18, 2025 (Xinhua) -- People attend a protest on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoner's Day in the West Bank...
Sanaa [Yemen], April 18 (ANI): The US military's attack on Ras Isa port in Yemen's Hodeidah governorate killed at least 38, while about...
New York [US], April 18 (ANI): Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations...
(250418) -- SAFED, April 18, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Jewish worshipers attend a festive Shacharit morning prayer for Passover in Safed, northern...
The site was used to fund the Houthi terrorist effort, the United States Central Command said The US has carried out strikes on the...