The Moldovan metropolitan with the Moscow Patriarchate has expressed disrespect for Ukraine by supporting Russia’s armed aggression against the country.
A few days ago, a video was spun across social media showing a sermon in the Serhievo-Posad Monastery in Moscow, on the occasion of the Day of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where Metropolitan Vladimir (Kantaryan) of Chisinau and All Moldova declared his direct support for the Russian leadership, which in the conditions of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine could negatively influence the religious situation in the embattled country.
On October 11, TVR Moldova published a video recording showing Metropolitan Vladimir (Kantaryan) offering a prayer for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia, President Vladimir Putin, on the occasion of the latter’s birthday. According to the cleric, “we still pray to You, our God, for the leader of the Russian state, Volodymyr Volodymyrovich (Putin – ed.). God, give him mercy, health, and many summers. Protect him from all the enemies you see.”
Currently, the metropolitan’s actions are actively discussed in Ukraine as people condemn such an open commitment of the Moldovan clergy to the political leadership of Russia.
Vladimir (Kantaryan) has long demonstrated his devotion and service to the Russian Federation, for which the President of Russia presented the metropolitan with the Order of Friendship. The award ceremony took place on May 23, 2018, in the Kremlin’s Catherine Hall in Moscow. The decree states that the award is presented to the Metropolitan of Moldova “for a great contribution to the preservation of the Russian cultural and spiritual heritage in the Republic of Moldova, fruitful activity in strengthening Russian-Moldovan cooperation.” The decree also emphasizes that Metropolitan Vladimir is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
But that’s not all. As the “Spiritual Front of Ukraine” managed to find out, the Moldovan hierarch, in addition to the citizenship of Moldova, also holds a passport of a citizen of Ukraine, issued in 1996, and a passport of a citizen of Ukraine for foreign travel abroad, which was issued quite recently, in 2021.
In our opinion, such a devoted cleric should not be issued a passport, but should be deprived of his Ukrainian citizenship.
