From the website of the Orthodox Church of Moldova:
His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir addressed a message to General Mayor of Chisinau, Mr. Dorin Chirtoaca, pleading that the authorities do not allow the organization of a gay pride planned for the 19th of May.
It is mentioned in the message: “The Metropolis of Chisinau and All Moldova continues to believe that this is a defying initiative, conflicting with moral values and decency. At the same time, a potential march of sexual minorities on the streets of Chisinau will be nothing else but a strong provocation with severe consequences, taking into account general repulsion of the population towards the deviant behavior of homosexuals and lesbians…”
The event to which Vladimir objects is a Gay Pride march to mark the end of a week-long “Rainbow Over the Dniester” festival.
After apparently blaming gay people for any violence against them, Vladimir goes on to argue that the march comes shortly after the UN’s International Day of Families, and will clash with the day on which the Orthodox Church commemorates the Myrrh-bearing Women (the women who came to the tomb of Christ and found it to be empty).
Vladimir’s call has been echoed by Vasile Filat (var. Vasily Filat), a Baptist pastor with the Good News Church in Chisinau.
Also on board is “Moldova Mea”, a “civil society” organisation:
The public association “Moldova Mea” called on all the people of the country to come together in the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau on May 19 to protest against the march that the sexual minorities intend to stage that day.
The aim of the protest is to “prevent” the march, and Vladimir has been asked to address and bless the crowd. According to the above report, Vladimir was asked to become involved by Mihail Garbuz, President of the pro-Russian Patriots of Moldova Party (var. Moldova’s Patriots Party, Patriotii Moldovei).
Moldova Mea is headed by Fiodor Ghelici, a businessman and anti-corruption activist; he has called for a law to be passed to ban “the propagation of homosexuality”, and he claims to have the support of former president Vladimir Voronin. In 2008, Voronin received an award from the late Patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II.
Moldova Mea is also part of a wider group of NGOs, called “The Civil Society Congress of Moldova”.
(H/T Interfax Religion)
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