Orthodox Christians Appeal to Estonian Parliament Regarding Potential Church Ban

Tallinn, January 23, 2025

Photo: pnp.ru     

The Riigikogu, Estonia’s Parliament, will consider a collective petition from the Estonian Orthodox Church regarding proposed legislation that would lead to a ban on the Church.

An appeal from parishioners was published online in early December, proposing to stop the consideration of amendments to the Church and Congregations Act and to include organizations and persons who are directly or indirectly related to this issue in the discussion.

To date, the petition has gathered more than 4,000 signatures online and on paper, the Estonian Church reports. Such appeals can be submitted to Parliament once they hit 1,000 signatures. On Monday, the Church reported that the petition was accepted for processing and will be forwarded to the Legal Affairs Committee.

The Estonia: Bill submitted to ban churches tied to the Moscow PatriarchateThe Estonian Ministry of the Interior has seriously ramped up its pressure on the Estonian Orthodox Church as Minister Lauri Läänemets has proposed new legislation to ban religious organizations connected to the Moscow Patriarchate.

“>amendments under consideration are part of an ongoing pressure campaign on the Church since the start of the war in Ukraine. Metropolitan Evgeny forced to leave EstoniaHis Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Tallinn and All Estonia was forced to leave the country today after the authorities refused to renew his residence permit.”>Last February, the state expelled His Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny, claiming, without evidence, that he posed a threat to national security. The state is also trying to force the Church to leave the Moscow Patriarchate and join the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which operates a rival jurisdiction in Estonia, though the EOC has Estonian Orthodox Church formally rejects proposal to join Constantinople’s jurisdictionOn September 19, the head of the EAOC proposed at a session of the Estonian Council of Churches to create a Russian vicariate to subsume parishes of the EOC-MP.”>formally rejected this option.

The authors of the petition emphasize that the new version of the Churches and Congregations Act will actually affect not only the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as a separate legal entity but also each of its parishes. If the amendments to the law are adopted, legal entities of the Estonian Church face forced termination of activities, as it will be impossible to meet the requirements imposed on them within a two-month period.

And since the proposed restrictions affect canonical law, fulfilling the requirements may be impossible for reasons beyond the control of the EOC and its parishes, the petition states. Forcing the canonically unlawful severance of ties with one’s Patriarchate and transition to another Patriarchate constitutes interference in the internal life of religious associations.

Thus, the measures being taken will directly affect a significant portion of EOC parishioners and clergy, whose liturgical and parish life will be disrupted due to the inability to continue gathering in their churches with their clergy.

The petition thus makes four specific requests to the Estonian Parliament:

• to return the draft law to the Ministry of Interior and halt its processing

• to initiate a broader discussion of this issue as a matter of major national importance given

• to organize proper public consultations since stakeholders weren;t involved in the draft law’s preparation

• to submit the proposal for legal review to various national and international bodies to assess whether the draft law complies with both constitutional and international legal obligations regarding religious freedom

Estonian Orthodox Church changes name again under state pressureThe Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate held its third Council session on January 10, 2025, in Tallinn. The session addressed concerns raised by the Tartu County Court’s registration department regarding the Church’s statute adopted on August 20.

“>A few days ago, the Estonian Church amended its statutes and changed its legal for the second time in a matter of months to comply with state demands, though authorities have made it clear that they won’t be satisfied until the EOC simply unilaterally leaves the Moscow Patriarchate.

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