“The Orthodoxy in Moldova. Power, Church, the Faithful” is a monograph about the Moldovans covering the period after 1940 that contains pages about dramatic events in the history of the Orthodox Church. It is a collection of original documents collected from different archives, including of the security services of Moldova and Russia. The two volumes of the work written by the former director of Moldova's Security and Information Service Valeriu Pasat, who is a correspondent member of the Academy of Sciences, were launched in Tuesday, February 9, Info-Prim Neo reports. “I started to collect the documents in the 1990s. The book focuses on the relations between the State and the Church. This topic is very interesting for me as a scientist, but rather complicated and dramatic for me as a man,” the author said. Valeriu Pasat said he obtained a large part of the documents through the agency of the former Minister of Security Anatol Plugaru, who allowed him to have access to the Ministry's archives. “The Orthodox religion for our people meant a refuge and a real pillar during a regime that was atheist and hostile to God and the Church. We can now argue endlessly who we are: Moldovans or Romanians. This is normal from scientific viewpoint. The people can be divided by ethnic criteria into majority and minority groups, by the political orientation, by public organizations, but what is more important is that we all are Orthodox,” Valeriu Pasat stressed. In this connection, Valeriu Pasat said Moldova did not do what it had to after 1991 – to introduce teaching of Orthodoxy in the school program. He announced his intention to submit soon a proposal to the Parliament, suggesting holding a national referendum where the population could pronounce on this issue. His Holiness Vladimir, the Metropolitan Bishop of Chisinau and All Moldova, said the monograph is one of the most valuable works on the topic. “The book is for the people and about the people. It is unique through its accessibility and is based on reliable sources,” he said. Academician Andrei Esanu said the book includes original documents about the famine, deportation and humiliation of the native people. “It highlights the tragedies through which our people went. It is based on thorough scientific analyses,” he said. The first volume is based on the archive materials of 1940-1953, while the second on the materials of 1953-1960. Both of the books were published in Moscow and contain more than 1,700 pages. Two more volumes of the monograph will be issued in May.