Priests who were taken on pilgrimages to Russia by fugitive Ilan Șor were at the forefront of the violence in Dereneu, according to an investigation published by anticoruptie.md. Most of the “parishioners” who attended the propaganda-tinged services and came to “defend” the church, likewise, were not from the village.
Journalists went to the locality on February 12th. The service held at the church was mostly attended by people who do not live in Dereneu, they came to “defend the faith” and did not want to say who organized their “trip”. Several minibuses that would have transported the parishioners were also near the church.
After officiating the service, Archbishop Petru delivered anti-Romanian messages and against the state authorities. He stated that the Metropolis of Bessarabia is not “recognized by anyone in the world” and that Romania came to “steal our faith, like Judas”. He also accused the priests of the Metropolis of Bessarabia of “collecting information from the Republic of Moldova” and warned people that they will not have “where to bury their parents”.
“They show a document and say they are from the Romanian church. And so they deceive those from other countries. If you love Romania so much, why don’t you go there to build a church and show there that you are a son of Romania. Why did you come here? We are Moldovans. Such people crucified Christ who betrayed him. So does this Judas betray our faith. You started to comb all the information, to know how to proceed. And today, how do you proceed, Judas, what kind of man are you? Such people will crucify the Savior Christ every day,” said the priest in his sermon.
At the forefront of the protests in Dereneu, apart from Archbishop Petru, was Vadim Corostinschi, secretary of the Diocese of Ungheni and Nisporeni, who, in 2024, on the eve of the presidential elections and the referendum, organized pilgrimages to the Russian Federation for priests from his diocese. Although Corostinschi did not display his travels, other clerics posted images with him, and in 2024 the church servant appeared on a Russian television, in a report about the excursions of the church faces from the Metropolis of Chisinau and the whole of Moldova to Moscow.
Another priest who participated in the pilgrimages to Moscow in 2024 and was involved in the actions in Dereneu is the priest of the city of Ungheni, Nicolae Prisăcaru. Previously, he was photographed drinking beer on spiritual excursions through Russia.
Known for his close fraternal relations with the Patriarch of Moscow, Archbishop Petru piously displays photos in which he appears alongside the patriarch of the Russian Church, Kirill. Coincidentally or not, images of the cleric with the patriarch appear on the website of the diocese of Ungheni and Nisporeni.
Pro-Russian bloggers and television channels associated with Ilan Șor have heavily publicized the subject, and the socialist leader Igor Dodon went to the Călărași district, when the court decided the preventive measure for the mayor of Dereneu, who is also a member of the PSRM. He is accused of incitement to violence.
The full investigation can be read HERE.