PROTECTING «TRADITIONAL VALUES» AND ORTHODOX RADICALISM (THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA)
Keywords:
Orthodox radicalism, Republic of Moldova, Law on Ensuring EqualityAbstract
Based on the case of the Republic of Moldova, the author shows that when the Orthodox Church faces external challenges, its regular and conventional methods of building church-state relations do not promote ecclesiastical interests anymore. Paraecclesiastical political actors represented by radical movements of clergy and laity uncontrolled by the bishops move to the foreground. Such actors renounce conventional methods of political participation and even use low-intensity violence to confront the state. The author concludes that Orthodox radicals are antagonists not so much to the state, but to the Church leadership, eventually splitting from the Church altogether. This conclusion is backed by analysing antagonism between the Orthodox Church of Moldova and the state policy of securing – in accordance with the EU requirements - equal employment rights for the LGBT people. Symbolically, pride parades became the focus of the church-state confrontation. As an alternative to them, the Church has organized its own rallies in support of family and traditional values. The article demonstrates that, by using informal negotiations, the Metropolitanate of Moldova failed to convince the state authorities that the Law on Ensuring Equality should be called back; as a result, it was forced to openly criticize state policy. At the same time, unlike the radicals, the Church is not ready to confront the state. The publication’s methodology includes analysing legal documents, mass media materials, and other sources, and on the author’s fieldwork in the Republic of Moldova in 2011, 2013, 2019.References
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