 | NEVER A NATION, the Moldavian SSR was always just an administrative entity within the Soviet Union. Today, it has effectively broken in two. [more] |  | | |  | DEMILITARIZATION IS NEEDED to repair the strained relations between Moldova and Pridnestrovie. A look back at history shows how lasting peace can become a reality. [more] |
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Religious freedom under review, preference for state religion rejected by parliament
In Pridnestrovie, the country's parliament refused to approve a draft law which would limit the rights of non-Orthodox religious groups in the republic. In doing so, it reaffirmed Pridnestrovie as a country where freedom of religion is protected by the country's constitution and where a multi-ethnic population lives peacefully as neighbors throughout the mixed nation. 
In Rybnitsa, Western Christian and Eastern Christian churches co-exist in harmony, side by side.RYBNITSA (Tiraspol Times) - Pridnestrovie prides itself of its open spirit and true religious tolerance. Due to its historical and geographical origins as the frontline between Western and Eastern civilizations, Pridnestrovie is also religiously diverse. Here, a rich tapestry of faiths peacefully co-exist. Next to Orthodox temples you can easily find Catholic churches or Jewish synagogues. There is no religious or racial discrimination between groups in Pridnestrovie. The rate of interfaith marriages is the highest in South East Europe, as are the number of marriages between ethnic groups.
All religions exist in Pridnestrovie under equal footing and with equal rights. There is no state religion and the country maintains a strict separation of Church and State. As such, no religion can be the preferred religion over another.
Although the Christian Orthodox church is the largest, it is not guaranteed any special treatment. On 14 April 2004, Pridnestrovie's parliament refused to approve a draft law which would limit the rights of non-Orthodox religious groups in the republic.
Pridnestrovie, also known as Transnistria, declared its independence from the MSSR (a Soviet Union republic) in 1990 during the overall breakdown of Soviet communism. Claiming separate statehood, it now has a Western-oriented constitution with minority protection, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and no less than 3 official state languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan. (With info from: http://www.radonezh.ru/new/?ID=1866)
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An estimated 4,000 people took to the streets of Tiraspol this weekend in favor of independence from Moldova. The march called for "Slavic Unity" between churches and local civil society organizations. Unlike Pridnestrovie, Moldova is not majority Slavic and friendship - but not unity - is sought with Moldova. . . 
