The archbishop has twice been prevented from boarding a plane to Jerusalem to attend the Holy Fire ceremony, held each year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the day before Orthodox Easter.
"It seemed as if he had already foreseen that it would be impossible for him to fly to the Holy Land in the last few days," he said.
The OHCHR has begun gathering information about the incident . A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church called the harassment of Merkel a "clear example of a discriminatory policy designed to limit people's rights to practice their religion" in Moldova.
The Holy Fire ceremony is held each year at a church in Jerusalem's Old City, the spot Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Merkel had been planning a trip to Jerusalem to bring the Holy Fire back to Moldova's Christians, who make up more than 95% of the country's population.