Bennett Briggs

Surrounded by Ukraine on three sides and Romania on the other, the Republic of Moldova is an Eastern European landlocked country of 3.55 million people. Almost 97% of the population are Orthodox Christians belonging to one of two Churches. The autonomous Moldovan Orthodox Church (MOC) (belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church) claims 86% of the population with 1,194 parishes, and the Bessarabian Orthodox Church (belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church) has 11% of the population with 124 parishes. Both claim to be the national Church of Moldova. The remaining 3% of people belong to smaller non-Orthodox religious groups, are atheist, or are non-religious. The largest non-Orthodox religious groups, with about 15,000 to 30,000 members each are Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Jews, and evangelical Christians.

The Constitution of Moldova provides for freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and while there is no official state religion, the law on religion describes the “exceptional importance and fundamental role of the Christian Orthodox religion, particularly that of the MOC, in the life, history, and culture of the people of the Republic of Moldova.” As in all countries there are isolated reports of abuse and discrimination on the basis of religion, but the government is in general respectful of the various confessions and protects their rights.

Although the law does not require registration of religious groups, registration affords churches a legal status that allows them to own property, open bank accounts, and hire employees. The registration process is the same for all religious groups. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) must be presented with a declaration of the religion’s exact name, fundamental principles of belief, organizational structure, scope of activities, financing sources, rights and obligations of membership, and proof of premises where activities will be held. Additionally, at least 100 citizen founders are required to register a religious group.