By Alexander TanasCHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldova's largest Orthodox church reaffirmed its link to its Russian parent church on Thursday despite dissent from priests who have denounced the association with Moscow over the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. But parishioners are divided between two churches -- the Moldova Metropolis, subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, which reports to the Romanian church. "The clergy and the people remain faithful to the Orthodox Church of Moldova and Metropolitan Vladimir," Bishop Ioan of theRussia-linked church said in a statement. "There will be no discussion of linking the Molodvan Orthodox Church to the Romanian Patriarchate." A group of priests in the majority Russian-linked church had asked Vladimir this week to switch allegiance to the Romanian church.

---

Persons: Alexander Tanas CHISINAU, Metropolitan Vladimir, Kirill, Bishop Ioan, Vladimir, Pavel Borsevschi, Maia Sandu, Sandu, Alexander Tanas, Ron Popeski, Sandra Maler Organizations: Orthodox Church, Metropolitan, Orthodox, of, European Union Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Moldova Metropolis, Metropolis, Bessarabia, Romanian, Russia, Russian, of Moldova, Romanian Patriarchate, Romania, Soviet Union