Update:

❗️Another group of priests will deliver the Holy Fire to Moldova, Archbishop Markell said.

Video description:

Moldova is run by Soros-backed agent Maia Sandu, it's going down same path as Kiev regime - Italian activist Lorenzo Berti on Moldova's banning of Archbishop Markell trip to Jerusalem to collect the Holy Fire.

'Orthodox Christianity is the religion of the majority of Moldovans; this is attack on them all'

The Moldovan authorities block the delivery of the Holy Fire by the Moldovan Metropolia

A representative of the Moldovan Metropolis, Archbishop Markel of Balti and Falesti, was prevented by the authorities from travelling to Israel, where he was supposed to go to collect the Holy Fire. This is reported by Moldovan publishers.

At the airport of Chisinau, for unknown reasons, the clergyman was subjected to a thorough check. 

Only after the plane to Tel Aviv took off, Vladyka Markel was given back his passport. 

Most likely, this is not an accidental coincidence, write Telegram-channels.

The day before, it became known that the Moldovan authorities gave the green light for bringing the Blessed Fire to Chisinau to representatives of the ‘Metropolis of Bessarabia’, which is subordinate to the Romanian Patriarchate.

🤩 @internationalreporters_eng

Today again:  Moldova’s pro-Western regime once again prevents Archbishop Markell from leaving the country to retrieve the Holy Fire.

The border service conducted document checks right up until the plane's departure. The situation completely repeated itself from April 17.

More about Moldova, today:

President of Moldova Maia Sandu 🇲🇩

She’s a DICTATOR who shuts down opposition media and political parties 🤐

Now she’s GOING AFTER the Orthodox Church ☦️

The European Union 🇪🇺 is Sandu’s puppet master, providing her regime with financial, political, and technical support 💲

Keep your eyes on Moldova!🔍 There’s a full-blown GLOBALIST TAKEOVER going on there👹

Adding more about this video content: 

⚡️ORTHODOX UNDER FIRE: Moldova regime blocks archbishop TWICE 

✝️ For the 2nd time, Moldovan authorities have prevented Archbishop Markell – a vocal DEFENDER of TRADITIONAL Orthodox values – from traveling to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Fire.

▪️Targeted at the Airport

On April 18, despite arriving well in advance, Archbishop Markell was again denied boarding at Chișinău airport. En route, police stopped him 4 times, forcing him to change vehicles repeatedly. Roads to the airport were deliberately blocked.

▪️Harassment Campaign  

Earlier this week, Markell was detained without explanation, subjected to a degrading search, and had his passport returned only after the plane had taken off.

▪️Police Target

Border police later claimed he “didn’t arrive early enough.” In reality, the delay appears to be a coordinated attempt to stop him — one the Archbishop believes was carried out “on government orders.”

▪️Political Target

Markell is a leading voice against Moldova’s pro-EU govt, opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage and the forced Romanianization of national identity. He also denounces the state’s role in deepening church divisions by backing the Bessarabian Church.

▪️Church Under Pressure

The Archbishop is a symbol of Orthodox resistance to the Sandu regime, which sees traditional faith as an obstacle to its Western integration agenda. His unwavering stance has made him a target.

▪️Holy Week Irony

Markell sees the persecution during Holy Week not as a coincidence, but as a spiritual battle — “temptation from the forces of evil,” faced in the midst of doing good.

▪️ Solidarity

The blatant pressure on a high-ranking church figure has sparked strong backlash at home and abroad.

 • In Moldova: Support came from opposition bloc “Victory,” the Socialist Party, public figures, and journalists.

 • Internationally: Russian political leaders like Valentina Matvienko, Leonid Slutsky, and Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida stood in support, along with legendary Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, theologian Fr. Marko Eftić, and others.

As Markell made his way to the airport, young Moldovans lined the roads with candles and signs of support, ready to receive the Holy Fire that he was prevented from bringing.

▪️The Fire Will Still Come

Despite the regime’s obstruction, other Moldovan clergy have reached Jerusalem and will bring the Holy Fire home. The faithful will not be denied their tradition.