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Moldovan Authorities Boot Two Romanian Priests

Authorities in the Moldovan capital Chisinau expelled two Romanian priests after learning that they did not have adequate documents to work there, the measure being taken within a control targeting all priests in this structure, said the spokesperson of the Romanian Patriarchy, Constantin Stoica.
02 ian. 2008, 15:24, English
Priest Constantin Stoica told MEDIAFAX that two priests of the Basarabia Church, a structure found in the jurisdiction of the Romania Orthodox Church, had parishes in two localities in the Cahul area.
 
"We were informed by representatives of the Basarabia Church that all priests within the church were controlled by Moldovan authorities, to see if their papers or stay and labor in Moldova are adequate. Two of the priests were found with inadequate paperwork, which led to their expulsion," Stoica added.
 
A few days ago, His Holiness Petru of the Basarabia Church encountered “hassle” upon returning to Romania, when Moldovan customs officers held him at the Sculeni customs point, conducting a “detailed” body search and searching his vehicle, claiming that he might be a drug dealer.
 
The expulsion of the two priests, performed legally from a Moldovan authority perspective, comes as the latest addition to the disputes between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, triggered by the reactivation of three Romanian churches on Moldovan soil.