The accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union does not imply, under any circumstances, the renunciation of our Christian values. In a press conference organized by the civic initiative “Citizens for Europe”, Vadim Pistrinciuc, executive director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives and co-founder of the initiative, together with priest Andrei Rusu from the “Saint Dumitru” church in Chisinau, addressed the myths related to European integration and Christianity.
Vadim Pistrinciuc emphasized that one of the most frequent falsehoods spread recently is the idea that the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union would imply a renunciation of Christianity or Orthodoxy.
“Europe is founded on Christian morality. European legislation has its roots in Christian morality. Europe is a space of Christianity, in which many Christian churches coexist. These churches cooperate. If we talk about European countries, there are secular countries like France, but there are states where Christianity is elevated to the level of state religion, such as Greece,” said Vadim Pistrinciuc.
He also emphasized that in the EU there are numerous states with a majority Christian-Orthodox population, including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus, and Mount Athos, an important Orthodox center, is also located in the European Union. Vadim Pistrinciuc also mentioned the significant financial support that states with strong Orthodox communities have received for the restoration of places of worship and the preservation of religious heritage.
For his part, Father Andrei Rusu reiterated the importance of the Christian heritage in Europe.
“It would be a sin to say that Europe is not Christian. In fact, the foundation of the European construction is Christian. The Holy Apostles Paul and Peter, when they went to preach the Gospel from Jerusalem, went first to Europe, to Rome, which was the capital of the Roman Empire. In the Danube region, Christianity came through Romanization, so that our identity is based on Christian principles,” said Father Rusu.
He also emphasized the positive impact of his academic visit to Italy, where he observed how Christian values are better protected and promoted than in the post-Soviet space.
“We, as Christians, are called to love everyone around us. Europe is our home, because we are Europeans geographically and spiritually,” concluded Father Rusu.
The civic initiative “Citizens for Europe” is formed by a group of active and dedicated citizens, including former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicu Popescu, entrepreneur Vasile Tofan, journalist Alexandru Cozer, soprano Valentina Nafornița, fighter Irina Rîngaci, journalist Nata Albot, President of the WatchDog.md Community Valeriu Pașa, and Executive Director of IPIS Vadim Pistrinciuc.
The purpose of this initiative is to inform citizens about the European integration of the Republic of Moldova and to promote an informed decision in the constitutional referendum on October 20.