CHISINAU (Reuters) -A new dispute underscored the split in Moldova’s Orthodox faith on Wednesday as the ex-Soviet state’s largest church rejected any notion that it was a “Russian church” while a rival church linked to Romania accused it of mass deception.

More than 90% of Moldovans adhere to Orthodox Christianity in the country lying between Ukraine and Romania.

But parishioners are divided between two churches — the Moldova Metropolis, subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which reports to the Romanian church. Neither has full independence.

MOLDOVA CHURCH SAYS IT IS ‘FREE AND INDEPENDENT’

The split has been accentuated by the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, which has buffeted Moldova, with drones repeatedly landin

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