Although the Minister of Social Protection, Natalia Plugaru, stated that negotiations are underway with the priest’s family from Dereneu to have his children return home, who are barricaded with their parents in the church, Igor Dodon claims that social workers wanted to remove the children from the family.
On Wednesday, February 11, Natalia Plugaru maintained that social workers entered the church at the beginning of February and had a discussion with the family. The children wanted to stay with their parents, and the authorities reached a common ground with the adults, so that the minors could have access to proper nutrition, care, and warmth.
On Friday, February 13, Igor Dodon traveled to the Strășeni district, where the decision regarding the preventive measure applied to the mayor of Dereneu was announced. Initially, the socialist leader told journalists that social workers want to remove the minors from the family and that the priest’s wife had locked herself in the church again for this reason.
Shortly after the first statement, Dodon said that the problem was suddenly solved. According to the deputy, the mother decided to take the minors home, because they need to return to school.