In a rare move, the leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church publicly reacts to Russia’s infiltration actions among priests and believers.
A prominent parish priest from Oradea, who made a film to the liking of the Kremlin and met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow last April, has been suspended for a period of 30 days, accused of being an instrument of Russia in Romania, through a lengthy statement released by the Oradea Diocese.
But behind this „punishment,” which seems reduced and unimportant, lies a deeper action by the leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which has started to publicly signal its desire to rid itself of Russia’s influence.
... we consider that we have all the coordinates and all the indicators to be justified in observing that one of the Trojan horses in our Church is this priest Ciprian-Romeo Mega, who has not been accepted anywhere within the Romanian Orthodox Church due to his rebellious, anarchic, and extremist views...
Oradea Diocese, official statement
Alongside the reservist networks of the intelligence and military services, the religious networks have played a major role in promoting Russian propaganda, conducting disinformation operations and spreading false information, as well as creating a favorable public opinion trend towards Vladimir Putin and Russia, following the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
For nearly three years, since the start of the conflict at Romania's border, neither the president nor the government has communicated with citizens in a serious and consistent manner about the situation created.
The military support provided by Bucharest to Kiev was kept secret, and the institutional response to the hybrid war launched by Russia against Romania was completely absent.
Authorities turned a blind eye to the operations carried out in broad daylight to create a structure for manipulating public opinion, resulting in the creation of thousands of websites and social media groups promoting Russia's political objectives.
Everything culminated in the massive support for Călin Georgescu in the presidential elections, a pro-Russian candidate, with visible ties to former agents of intelligence services under Moscow's influence.
The Church Star of Russian Propaganda
Following the annulment of the presidential elections, decided by the Constitutional Court on December 6, 2024, based on intelligence reports, the first signs of an institutional reaction to deteriorate Russian influence networks in society emerged.
On January 17, SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service) issues a lengthy press release about an operation conducted by Russian agents on Romanian territory.
Additionally, the Ministry of National Defense compromises social media influence of a woman who claimed to have worked for the Army's intelligence service.
Raisa Ekaterina Ivatenko, a supporter of Călin Georgescu and Vladimir Putin, promotes a series of conspiracy theories on her TikTok and Facebook accounts.
The ban imposed by the Oradea Diocese on 40-year-old Priest Ciprian Mega, a star of Russian propaganda in Romania, is the latest indication that a broader action is underway to reduce Kremlin's influence in our country.
"From Putin, I perceived a sign of goodwill towards Romania and Romanians," Ciprian Mega confessed in an interview with Cozmin Gușă for Gold FM radio station.
Putin's "goodwill" towards the priest was evident after the Kremlin leader ordered, for example, the bombardment of the city of Odessa, Ukraine, multiple times, a port on the Black Sea where a community of Romanians resides.
"We believe that one of the Trojan horses in our Church is this Priest Ciprian-Romeo Mega, who has not been accepted anywhere within the Romanian Orthodox Church due to his rebellious, anarchic, and extremist views," as stated in the Oradea Diocese's communication, transmitted to the local publication "eBihoreanul."
Mega "was ordained in Cyprus, a stronghold of Russian oligarchs and mafia, who act and think in perfect harmony with the priest in question... being planted in the country to sow troubles and intrigues, to destabilize and work in another direction, with a political purpose," the diocese's statement further reveals.
The Man of God Comes from Moscow
From the presented data, it emerges that Priest Ciprian Mega has been on the authorities' radar for quite some time, and the Romanian Orthodox Church has received detailed information about his activities, how he entered the country, his connections in Cyprus with Russian representatives, and how he is funded.
...he has systematically refused and opposed the financial-accounting verification of the parish, has never submitted the Income and Expense Budget of the parish, and neither the budget provisions that each church unit is obliged to submit, completed and signed by the parish priest and other serving priests, as well as by the members of the Parish Council...
Oradea Diocese, official statement
Furthermore, the Oradea Diocese details how Priest Ciprian Mega, a fervent supporter of Călin Georgescu, receives money and is supported by Russia's envoys.
"From here, the financial support for the construction of the parish church in Oradea - for which he boasted of receiving a chandelier as a gift from Metropolitan Ilarion Alfeiev, former Metropolitan for external relations of the Russian Church, a very influential and enigmatic personality - very likely, (support and) for the making of films," as stated in the diocese's communication.
"Then, we all know about the string of accolades from filmmakers coming from the Moscow Film Festivals, his absolutely unjustified artistic encounter with Putin (which, in the midst of the war, was just what was missing, to bring acclaim to an unknown Romanian director), his repeated services within the Moscow Patriarchate - in Moscow, with the approval of Patriarch Kirill, but also in Chisinau, alongside the reformist and rebellious Moscow cleric Pavel Borșevschi, where, also in a critical political moment, he caused turmoil - receiving, without any blessing, on December 12, 2024, during the celebration of the parish church's feast day, the Moscow priest Kiril Tatarka, former deacon of Metropolitan Ilarion and servant at the Russian Embassy chapel in Budapest (the Hungarian Orthodox Diocese being directly subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate), who delivered two speeches in the Orthodox church Saint Hierarch Spiridon in the Hungarian language, with a translator," as further detailed in the report by the church institution in Oradea.
Priest Ciprian Mega is accused by the diocese's leadership of having connections with Russian intelligence agency representatives.
The film "21 de Rubini," awarded last year at the Moscow Film Festival, banned in Romania, was a powerful propaganda operation, with a huge budget, involving famous actors like Dorel Vișan.
The Parallel Church - The Plan to Compromise the Romanian Orthodox Church
Priest Ciprian Mega is a major influence agent, one in which, according to the Oradea Diocese's communication, Russia has invested at least several million euros, through the construction of two churches, one in Cyprus, another in Oradea, and the funding of a high-budget film.
"I went to Russia to give Vladimir Putin a watch with 21 rubies," stated Priest Ciprian Mega in an interview conducted by Ion Cristoiu.
The accusations in the statement released by the Oradea Diocese show that Russia has a detailed plan to create tensions within the Romanian Orthodox Church, alongside promoting the Kremlin leader and political propaganda.
"And we refer specifically here to Russia and its long-tested Church - the domain of KGB agents and officers, wolves in sheep's clothing as the Lord warns us. And we bring up the warning that the Russian hierarchy made to the Romanian Orthodox Church, threatening that if it does not withdraw its hierarchy and administration from the territory of Bessarabia, they will establish a parallel Church of Moscow on Romanian territory as revenge," as stated in the Oradea Diocese's communication.
Blackmail with Sexual Scandals
In a Facebook post, Priest Ciprian Mega denies all accusations, saying he "found nothing real," but also threatens to make public sexual scandals within the clergy.
"It seems like suicide. A love suicide. The bishop is in love. I remember how, in the fall of 2020, he came to the tent where I was temporarily serving, during the construction of the church. He came to ask me not to speak publicly about the young people abused at the Izbuc monastery. I was speaking based on evidence, otherwise nothing would have moved him from his episcopal palace to the tent of testimony," wrote priest Ciprian Mega on his Facebook page, threatening Bishop Sofronie.
Ciprian Mega has been heavily promoted by the Russian party in Romania, formed and nurtured in recent years, including through funding from Moscow and Kremlin envoys sent to Romania, as stated in the quoted statement, who participate in events, provide directions for influencing public opinion, and, last but not least, threaten representatives of various institutions with political reprisals.