Petru Păduraru

Metropolitan Emeritus Petru (Secular name: Ion Păduraru; born 24 October 1946) is a Moldovan Eastern Orthodox metropolitan and the former Metropolitan of Bessarabia of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Biography

Early life Păduraru was born on 24 October 1946, in Țiganca, then part of the Soviet Union's Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of Romanian peasants.

He entered monastic life as a novice in 1968 in the Assumption Monastery in Odessa, and he was tonsured a monk on 29 March 1969. Later he was ordained a deacon on 29 December 1970, and a priest on 23 February 1973.

Episcopacy

Bishop of Bălți

On 20 July 1990 he was elected Bishop of Bălți by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, and was consecrated on 1 September 1990.

In 2008, a group of 44 priests from the Metropolis of Bessarabia demanded the resignation of Metropolitan Petru , accusing him of despotism.

Retirement

On the 27th of May 2026, he submitted a request to be retired due to age and health reasons. On the same day, Patriarch Daniel accepted this request and he appointed Metropolitan Teofan, Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, as Locum Tenens of the Archdiocese of Chișinău and the Metropolis of Bessarabia until the canonical election of a new Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia.

Awards Medal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (1993) Jubilee Medal of the Archdiocese of Tomis (1993) Honorary Diploma on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Lower Danube Diocese (1994) "Literature and Art" Weekly Prize for Faith and Sacrifice Spirituality (1995, 1996) The Romanian Cultural Foundation Award for contributing to the affirmation of the Romanian identity of the Romanians in Bessarabia (1996) Title of Honorary Citizen of Galati (2000) "Golden Cross" - distinction of the Diocese of the Lower Danube (2002, on the feast of the city of Galati) "The Golden Heart" Award of the Foundation for Christian Democracy (2004) Order "Saint Great Martyr George" by the Diocesan Council of the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia (2008) Order of Cultural Merit in rank of great officer, Romania (2008)