Patriarchal discord: the Estonian authorities insist on severing the EOC with Moscow

On March 26, the Estonian Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Churches and Parishes in the second reading. The third one may take place as early as early April, Andrei Korobeinik, a member of the Parliament of the republic, confirmed to Izvestia, while he admitted that the president might not sign the law. In the new version, the document requires the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) to terminate canonical ties with Moscow, which is unacceptable for it. For preventive purposes, the EPC MP has already changed its name to the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church and removed the mention of the Moscow Patriarchate from the organization's charter. But this is not enough for the authorities: they expect that the EPC will become part of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church. There are already calls for the demolition of churches in the country. Whether Estonia will follow Ukraine in the church issue is in the Izvestia article.

Anti-church bill

Estonian MPs have approved amendments to the Law on Churches and Parishes by a majority vote in the second reading. The EPC MP itself is extremely concerned about the legislative initiative. It is significant that on March 23, its leader, Metropolitan Evgeny (Reshetnikov) of Tallinn and All Estonia, called on the faithful "to pray fervently for the preservation of the persecuted Church," noting "that the amendments will significantly affect the life of the Church and its parishes." By the way, in early 2024, the hierarch was deported from the country because he retained his Russian citizenship.

The third reading will be held in early April, Andrei Korobeinik, a member of parliament from the Centrist Party, told Izvestia.

— We are against the amendments, EKRE too, it seems, the rest are in favor. That is, the law will be passed, the question is whether the president will proclaim it," he said.

The country's authorities believe that the EOC, which is canonically subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, remains "the most important instrument of influence in Estonia for Russia and the Kremlin." Such formulations, in particular, were used by former Interior Minister Lauri Leaenemetz. This bill, which was approved by the Estonian government on January 23 this year, is intended, according to its authors, to change this situation.

In particular, the amendments to the law "exclude the leadership of a person or association with significant influence and located in a foreign country if it poses a threat to security, constitutional order or public order." In other words, the law obliges the EPC to abandon ties with the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP).

In any case, the Estonian authorities will insist on changing the canonical leadership of the EPC, since Metropolitan Evgeny remains its head and he leads the Church from Moscow, says Roman Lunkin, Deputy director of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"If the law is passed, the hierarch automatically becomes an illegitimate leader from the point of view of Estonian law, according to which he was expelled from the country as a threat to Estonia's national security," he says.

The Estonian authorities call the Moscow Patriarchate an organization that allegedly "supports military aggression." Lauri Leaenemetz even offered to recognize it as a terrorist organization in order to ban its activities in Estonia. According to Roman Lunkin, given that the law is generally aimed at protecting national security, the head of the republic is likely to sign it. On the other hand, it is possible that its effect will extend only to the current head of the EPC and will not affect the church itself.

— As for, for example, the wording about a church organization that maintains ties with a foreign structure that "justifies aggression," this is not a legal definition. There are no decisions of the International Court of Justice or any bodies that relate to the Moscow Patriarchate and Patriarch Kirill, so this wording can not be applied to the EPC," he added.

How the EPC fights for its rights

In any case, after the amendments come into force, religious associations will be given two months to bring their charters, board members, and activities in line with the updated legislation. The EPC MP itself considers it impossible for itself to abandon its canonical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate. "This is part of our faith," explained Bishop Daniel (Lepiska) of Tartu during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council currently in Geneva.

According to him, the law contains norms according to which, in fact, the EPC is responsible for the actions of religious leaders of another country, "which contradicts the legal principle of individual responsibility."

The EPC MP is concerned that when the draft law is adopted, the legal entities of the Church may face forced liquidation, since it is impossible to fulfill the stipulated requirements for it. In order to somehow increase their chances in this struggle, in August last year, the Council of the EPC MP approved a new version of the charter, which does not include the name "Moscow Patriarchate."

On March 24, through the court, the EPC MP achieved a name change to the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church. "With the new name and charter, our Church emphasizes its self-governing status. Last year, we were forced to endure hostility because of our canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, which began the name of our Church. The new name and the charter reflect our independence in matters of church administration, church-economic, church-educational and church-civil affairs," explained Bishop Daniel.

The EPC's desire to compromise on the name change is embedded in the policy of preserving Estonian Orthodoxy, which is historically rooted in Baltic soil, Lunkin noted.

— The position of the EPC is quite balanced, diplomatic, and generally determined to show adequate loyalty to the authorities in order not to harm the church itself as a whole, both the jurisdiction and individual parishes. Changing the name will certainly help the Church, especially since Estonia, like other Baltic countries, is embedded in the European legal system and, accordingly, the EOC has the right to file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and other international bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council, he added. Him.

However, the Estonian authorities are demanding that the EPOC MP not only sever all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, but also become part of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC), which is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The EAOC is extremely interested in this, since only 7,000 people (mostly ethnic Estonians) attend its parishes, while the EPC MP unites over 100,000 parishioners (mainly Russians and Russian-speaking Estonians).

What is happening in Estonia is very similar to what happened in Ukraine earlier. In September 2024, a law came into force there, effectively prohibiting the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. At the same time, the authorities of this country do not shy away from using force against the UOC, strongly encouraging the seizure of its churches by representatives of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which, by the way, also received the tomos of autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

It is worth noting that Estonia, like Ukraine, has its own "hotheads" who suggest that the authorities act with more radical methods in relation to the EPC MP. On March 21, Estonian social activist Jaanus Nurmoya called for the demolition of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, built in the late 19th century. In March 2024, a deputy from the ruling party, Waldo Randpere, also made such an appeal, saying that the Orthodox church allegedly disfigures the appearance of the old city.