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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)