60 HRC OCM

ARCHBISHOP OF BĂLȚI AND FALEȘTI MARCHEL MIHAESCU ADDRESSES THE UNITED NATIONS IN DEFENSE OF THE RIGHTS OF BELIEVERS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF MOLDOVA

On September 23, 2025, in Geneva, during the 60th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, Archbishop Marchel Mihaescu of Bălți and Fălești of the Orthodox Church of Moldova delivered a speech.

In his address, the hierarch raised the issue of the relationship between the Church and the Moldovan authorities. In particular, the Archbishop stated:

“On behalf of our faithful, I wish to declare that we are deeply concerned about the position of the Moldovan authorities toward our confession.

Recently, the President of Moldova groundlessly called our Church ‘an instrument of influence of the Russian Federation.’

Moreover, our believers are subjected to excessively long and unreasonable inspections at border crossings – in some cases their travel abroad is effectively blocked, violating our right to freedom of movement. I myself was three times prevented from leaving Moldova without any grounds.

In Moldova there have already been violent attempts to transfer our parishes into another religious jurisdiction. Court proceedings are underway over the confiscation from our Church of more than 800 monastery and church buildings.

I remind the Moldovan authorities that religious organizations of the Russian Orthodox Church openly operate in all the countries of the European Union – toward which Moldova aspires – and nowhere are the rights of believers restricted because of organizational or canonical ties with the ROC.

I ask the UN mandate holders to consider the situation of the believers of the Orthodox Church of Moldova in the framework of our complaints submitted to the UN special procedures, and also to ensure international diplomatic attention to the problems I have outlined, in order to change Moldova’s policy toward our Church in accordance with international standards of human rights protection.”

The oral address took place in the presence of members of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as delegations of UN member states and representatives of international organizations.

The visit of Archbishop Marchel to Geneva was supported by human rights organizations with consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council – Public Advocacy, the international alliance Church against Xenophobia and Discrimination, and the human rights organization For Human Rights.

Lawyers from these organizations organized Archbishop Marchel’s trip to Geneva and are continuing negotiations and legal actions to defend the rights of believers, including submitting complaints to the UN special procedures on the problems of the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Moldova. Earlier, as a result of the work of these human rights defenders, seven UN Special Rapporteurs recognized serious human rights violations committed by the Ukrainian state against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and sent a corresponding communication to the government of Ukraine.

Within the updated framework of cooperation between human rights organizations and UN procedures, materials concerning the Orthodox Church of Moldova will now also be submitted. Significantly, a report by human rights defenders on the problems of the OCM, distributed during the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, was noticed in the European Parliament. Some Members of the European Parliament expressed doubts about the possibility of Moldova’s accession to the European Union in light of the infringements of the rights of believers of the Orthodox Church of Moldova.

In addition, MEP Fernand Kartheiser (ECR) submitted an official inquiry to the European Commission regarding the unlawful disruption by Moldovan state authorities of Archbishop Marchel Mihaescu’s pilgrimage trips.

In his inquiry, the MEP raised the following questions to the European Commission:

“The Moldovan authorities did not allow Archbishop Marchel of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, to travel to Jerusalem for the Holy Fire ceremony. He was detained at Chișinău airport without any official explanation, which has raised concerns regarding respect for freedom of religion.

Since the EU has begun accession negotiations with Moldova, the country is obliged to fully respect the fundamental principles of the Union, such as the rule of law, human rights, and religious freedom. Any failure to comply with these values may jeopardize its future in the European Union.

In light of the above:

1. What is the Commission’s position on this incident? Does the Commission regard this as a violation of freedom of religion in Moldova?

2. Does the Commission intend to raise this issue with the Moldovan authorities and warn them that they must avoid such abuses in Moldova, abuses which we have already seen in Ukraine, namely against Orthodox Christians belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate, or against Russian-speaking citizens?”

On August 21, 2025, in response to the MEP’s inquiry, the European Commission expressed concern about the incident involving Archbishop Marchel, which indicates that the European Union will regard such policies of the Moldovan state authorities toward believers of the OCM as inconsistent with European legal standards.

Thus, in response to the increasingly aggressive policy of the Moldovan authorities toward the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, a broad international human rights movement is forming, aimed at defending the Church and protecting the rights and religious freedoms of believers in Moldova.

Additional data sources:

1. Statement during:

Human Rights Council Fifty-ninth session 16 June–11 July 2025

Agenda item 2

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the

High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

Written statement* submitted by Všį "Žmogaus teisių

apsauga", a non-governmental organization in special

consultative status

The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is

circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.