#Moldova – Metropolitan Petru (Păduraru), the longtime leader of the Metropolis of Bessarabia under the Romanian Orthodox Church, resigned on May 27, 2026, after nearly 35 years in office. The Romanian Patriarchate formally accepted his retirement request, citing advanced age, health concerns, and the good of the Church. A recent scandal had unfolded at the same time involving a leaked video of the cleric allegedly engaging in homosexual acts.
The 79-year-old hierarch, born on October 24, 1946, in Țiganca, Cahul County, had served as Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia since 1995. He played a key role in re-establishing the Romanian-linked jurisdiction in Moldova following the Soviet era, positioning it as a counterweight to the larger Metropolis of Moldova under the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Daniel announced the decision in a brief statement that made no reference to any misconduct. However, Romanian and Moldovan media outlets widely reported that the resignation followed the online circulation of explicit video footage, specifically oral sex with another man, reportedly another cleric. The material surfaced on sites including strictsecret.com shortly before the announcement.
Church officials did not publicly comment on the authenticity of the videos, though multiple outlets treated them as a decisive factor in the sudden move. Some observers noted that intelligence services on both sides of the Prut River had reportedly possessed compromising material on the metropolitan for years.
Patriarch Daniel immediately appointed Metropolitan Teofan of Iași and Moldavia as locum tenens (interim administrator) of the Archdiocese of Chișinău and the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church was scheduled to review the resignation and elect a successor during its working session on June 3–4, 2026.
Petru Păduraru rose through the ranks in Soviet-era Ukraine before returning to Bessarabia. He faced earlier internal challenges, including a 2008 petition from 44 priests accusing him of authoritarian leadership. Despite such controversies, he remained a symbol of Romanian ecclesiastical presence in Moldova amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between pro-European/Romanian and pro-Russian orientations.
The Metropolis of Bessarabia represents the smaller of two competing Orthodox jurisdictions in Moldova, reflecting broader cultural and political divides in the country.
As of late May 2026, the full impact of the resignation and scandal on the Church’s standing in Moldova remained unclear, with reactions ranging from calls for moral accountability to defences framing the exit as a dignified retirement.
Image: Metropolitan Petru (Păduraru).
