Peter Păduraru

Petru Păduraru (born Ion Chirilovici Păduraru ; October 24, 1946) is a Moldovan Eastern Orthodox prelate and the current Metropolitan of Bessarabia within the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Biography
Păduraru was born on October 24, 1946, in Țiganca, Moldavian SSR.

He has been the Metropolitan of Bessarabia since October 3, 1995.

Awards

 * The Order of Cultural Merit (Romania), Grand Officer rank (2008)
 * Medal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (1993)
 * Romanian Cultural Foundation Award for contributions to affirming the Romanian identity of Romanians in Bessarabia (1996)
 * Honorary Citizen of the city of Galați (2000)